Introduction
Food is an important substance to human and animal life. Without food, animals and people can starve to death. In fact, the idea of food security has attracted the world’s attention where various governments and organizations have enacted policies to ensure food security. The paper starts by defining what food is and subsequently examine food production mechanisms, sharing and consumption.
Food
Food is any material consumed by both human beings and animals in order to support life and provide gratification. Both animals and human beings drink or eat food whose source is mainly from plants and animals. It is important to note that food falls into different categories.
Each food category has different nutrients that perform different functions in the body. For instance, cereals, bread and vegetables form a category of carbohydrates, which provide energy to the body. On the other hand, protein-rich foods such as meat, stuff, beans and fish assist in bodybuilding. Other categories of food such as vitamins, minerals and fats play a significant role in the bodies of human beings and animals.
Historically, there have been market places for buying and exchanging foodstuffs. Ranging from butcheries to cereal stores to groceries, people have adopted the art of buying and selling foods hence, generating income. It is also important to note that different cultures associate themselves with different types of food. In addition, some plants (source of food) do not do well in some regions.
This prompts other people buy them from market, while at the same time, they sell theirs to other people. At the end of it all, the cycle turns into a business enterprise. Equally, depending on one’s religious background, some food samples classify as sacred meals.
For instance, the Muslims do not take pork, while some Christian groups deny their members from taking meat. Nevertheless, there are three fundamental reasons why organisms need food of any category: to sustain life, to encourage growth, and to generate energy (Davidson, 2- 8).
Production, sharing, and consumption of food
There is no much difference of food production techniques between the past and the present. Whether in the past or in the present, the production of food has always been agricultural. Today, food commercialization has led to the establishment of the food industry run by conglomerates that employ intensive farming techniques to produce different types of food. Additionally, these multinational corporations ensure that no food goes to waste.
Moreover, the creation of food markets in various places all over the world has ensured that people who produce plenty can take it to these markets and exchange it for money. For instance, people in living in towns and major cities do not produce food. However, they go to market places to buy foodstuffs. In a way, this ensures the sharing of food among populations on earth.
Undeniably, multinational corporations play a significant role in the production, sharing and consumption of food. For instance, some perishable goods such as vegetables and tomatoes find their way to European and American markets all the way from Asia and Africa through the established networks. Some food processing agencies can and brine food, and store them in containers. Later on, they supply them to schools, army barracks and other welfare institutions (Claudio, 275-278).
Whom do we relate to food?
Certainly, food affects the way people relate to each other. In families, the times of sharing meals have been pivotal ones where people share their experiences- a family-style meal. Here, family members share their thoughts and feelings on various issues thus, strengthening their relationships.
In other circumstances, people meet in restaurants and drink places to share their thoughts that affect say, a country or a society. In this way, even enemies can see eye to eye. In fact, the sharing of drinks and meals even among enemies acts an arbitrator of peace. In the past, warring communities have exchanged food to mark a new era of peace. Thus, food is a recipe of establishing a good relationship among persons or communities (Nestle, 34-37).
Works Cited
Claudio, D. The role of wild food plants in poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation in tropical countries. Progress in Development Studies, 6(4), 2006, 275–286.
Davidson, A. The Oxford Companion to Food. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2006. Print.
Nestle, M. Food Politics. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2002. Print.