DEMAND AND SUPPLY

Demand and Supply

Demand and Supply

Introduction

The dependency of cities on a continuous food supply from the countryside has further shaped the regional patterns of food production. Land around cities is typically more valuable, which directs agricultural production in these areas toward labour intensive, easily perishable food items that need to reach their urban markets and processing facilities without delay.

One example of this regional differentiation per land value, production costs, and demand is the dairy and vegetable production “belt” around the cities in the Great Lakes area and eastern seaboard in the United States. Meat, corn, and wheat can be produced farther away, on cheaper land, but still within good transportation connections to processing plants and urban centres.

The trade of food between cities and countries expanded the scale of movement and business transactions, paving the way for what today is called globalization. Early international traders, such as the Greek and the Venetians, introduced new food items and their preparation methods to domestic and foreign lands. The colonization of the New World by Europeans added to the selection of spices and luxury consumables in Europe. “Fashion foods” in Europe of the era included New World drinks such as cocoa, tea, and coffee, and several fruits, which all led to innovations in kitchenware, serving styles, and socializing. As result of this globalization of food, diets, customs, landscapes, habitats, and economies changed dramatically on a global scale.

The commercial exchange and related rivalry between the world's superpowers created unstable dependencies, the legacy of which is still present in global politics and economy. Huge parcels of conquered land were turned into producers of raw materials and were designed to serve the needs of colonial masters. This production of export-serving “cash crops” often impoverished soils, homogenizing and limiting local agricultural production. The former colonies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America now have political independence, but their national economies may still depend on the production and trading patterns created during the colonial-imperial era. The contemporary world is highly unbalanced and unequal from the perspective of food production, distribution, and consumption. While some countries struggle to feed their population and children grow up malnourished, others try to resolve problems of overproduction and life-threatening obesity.

Food now travels across the globe faster and more comprehensively than ever before. Industrial mass production, trade, technological innovations, and expedient transportation and communication networks support a complex worldwide food system of supply and demand. Ease of travel allows for new culinary experiences, acquiring of tastes, and production of new customer demand. Migrants introduce new foods and foodways to their host populations, and create new demand for imports. A variety of import and export companies, specialty restaurants and corner groceries have sprung up in urban centers, diversifying local culinary landscapes. For the wealthy, everything is available all the time: fresh tropical fruit are sold year-round in developed countries, and beef from Brazil and lamb from New Zealand compete with domestic meat production in many European ...