Cambridge IELTS 19 Test 4 Writing Task 2: Sample Answer

A visit to a modern supermarket can feel like a tour of the world, with mangoes from Peru, rice from Thailand and cheese from France sharing the same shelves. Although this trend has genuine drawbacks, I believe it is, on balance, a positive development.

The most obvious advantage is variety and choice. Shoppers can eat fresh fruit and vegetables all year round, regardless of the local season, and people who have migrated can find the ingredients of their home cuisine. This variety supports a more balanced diet and makes cooking more enjoyable. Global trade also tends to push prices down, because stores can source products from wherever they are cheapest, which helps families on low incomes.

In addition, the global food trade supports millions of farmers in developing countries. A coffee grower in Ethiopia or a banana producer in Ecuador gains access to wealthy markets that a local economy could never provide. Export income can pay for schooling and healthcare, and fair-trade schemes allow some producers to earn a more stable living. Countries that suffer a poor harvest can also import food, which reduces the danger of shortages.

Nevertheless, the downsides deserve attention. Transporting food by plane and ship burns fuel and adds to carbon emissions, and imported produce is sometimes picked early and stored for weeks, so it may taste worse and contain fewer nutrients. Cheap imports can also undercut local farmers, forcing small family farms out of business and weakening rural communities. Furthermore, a long supply chain makes it harder to guarantee safety standards.

These problems, however, are best tackled through regulation rather than by restricting trade. Clear labelling of origin, carbon taxes on freight and support for local growers would let consumers make informed choices. In conclusion, access to food from around the world improves diets and incomes, and with sensible policies its environmental and economic costs can be kept under control.