Groceries and Globalization Essay Example

The United States of America exports food products from different parts of the continent. The United States market is has a larger percentage of consumers and that makes it a potential target for any food producing company. According to national statistics, the country imports an estimated 15 percent of the food supplies sold in the markets. The data includes 50 percent of the fresh fruits, 80 percent of seafood, and 20% of fresh vegetables. The United States embraces globalization through the importation of food products from different countries in the world.

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The tour to the Wal-Mart revealed to me that a greater percentage of vegetables and seafood in the store are imported. La Choy Chicken Chow Mein with Vegetables and Sauce Dinner is the food that traveled the furthest compared to the other five that I selected. The food product is imported from China and it is estimated to have traveled more than 11,640 kilometers. The La Choy Chicken Chow Mein with Vegetables and Sauce Dinner is associated with the Chinese culture. The Chinese people who live in the United States frequently use the product. Additionally, the food has been accepted by other American communities and it has led to the rise in demand. I have been able to taste the food once and I liked it but it takes time to prepare and only individuals of the Chinese decent understand how it should be prepared. This type of food has been in the country for ages and I believe my great-grandparents were able to eat the product. However, for the purposes of marketing the packaging and branding of the food has evolved and my great-grandparents were served with the food now, they will not recognize it due to branding.

According to the five food items that I picked at the Wal-Mart stores, most of them are from Mexico and Asia. The United States of America imports fruits from Mexico. I believe that the country relies on Mexico for food supplies because of the large percentage of Mexican and Spanish communities that live in the United States. The individuals increase the rate of demand for food products that serve the culture of the two communities. Additionally, through the importation of food products from the different nations, the United States encourages globalization. The five food item that I picked during my tour of the Wal-Mart store, the products reflected globalization. The imports were from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Therefore, the food products enable the country to create business opportunities in three continents. "Moreover, the citizens of the United States are able to sample food from various countries across the world" (Pingali 12). Consequently, business through the importation and exportation of food items to the United States are able to develop international influence and operate in world economies.

In 2016, the United States lifted the restriction on fruits products from Colombia and this made the items more competitive in the market. "My favorite fruit is bananas and I realized that the country imports it from Colombia" (Bucheli 7). Bananas are part of the Colombian Exchange and currently grown in the warm tropical of the United States of America. The states that lead in the domestication of bananas are Florida and Hawaii. Additionally, bananas are further grown in warm and non-tropical regions in the country. The states include Louisiana, Arizona, and Texas.

Bananas were initially grown in the Asian continent and later moved to Africa. During missionary activities, bananas were transported to the Caribbean and domesticated in their plantations. Currently, Colombia is considered among the top ten producers of banana in the world. "Furthermore, Asia continues to grow and supply bananas to the world market" (Nyombi et al. 65). This shows that the continent where banana plantation originated from continue to embrace the plant. Africa continues to produce banana and the item is considered as a staple food in some countries on the continent. "Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi use bananas as their staple food" (Nyombi et al. 32). Furthermore, Uganda is considered to be the second largest producer of bananas in the world after India.

Conclusion

The Wal-Mart stores in the United States sell food products from across the world. "Moreover, the country exports about 15 percent of food items from different continents" (Weber & Scott 21). Data shows that 50 percent of fresh fruits that are available in the country's market is imported. Seafood products lead the pact with more than 80 percent of the items available in the country are imports. Additionally, I realized that bananas originated from the Asian continent then spread to Africa and through missionary activities landed in the Caribbean. Interestingly, Asia continues to the world's largest producer of banana through India followed by Uganda which uses a banana as a staple food. Moreover, Rwanda and Burundi also consider bananas as their staple food. Bananas were part of the Colombian Exchange and this attributed to the spread of the product in the world. Colombia is considered the tenth largest producer of bananas and most of the produce is sold in the United States market. Additionally, the country promotes globalization through the importation of food item.

Works Cited

Bucheli, Marcelo. Bananas and Business: The United Fruit Company in Colombia, 1899-2000. NYU Press, 2005.

Nyombi, Kenneth, et al. "Allometric growth relationships of East Africa highland bananas (Musa AAAEAHB) cv. Kisansa and Mbwazirume." Annals of Applied Biology 155.3 (2009): 403-418.

Pingali, Prabhu. "Agricultural growth and economic development: a view through the globalization lens." Agricultural Economics 37 (2007): 1-12.

Weber, Christopher L., and H. Scott Matthews. "Food-miles and the relative climate impacts of food choices in the United States." (2008): 3508-3513.