The fresh produce industry is suffering from a major dilemma – to import or to buy local. Like most issues, there are two sides to every story, and as ever there are more questions than answers.
In an ideal world we would all like to buy and eat food that has been grown locally, but modern food trends, agricultural practices and economics mean that this is not always possible.
For example, where do you get your food from if you don't live in a country that is agriculturally productive enough to feed itself? Would you be prepared to eat a limited diet with no variety? Would you be happy not to have certain products 52 weeks a year? Do you expect supermarkets and wholesalers not to respond to modern food trends? How do you overcome the fact that it is sometimes cheaper to import from the most agriculturally productive areas than buy locally?
So what’s the answer? Well there is no easy one, but one way of living in the real world yet supporting local markets is through companies who are not just importers and exporters but ones with a global reach, with offices and farms spread across the globe.
David Ough of Rush Group says: “With a growing aspirational population, the world is wanting a more diversified shopping trolley, but at Rush we don't believe that this should be at any cost. That is why we have offices and farms spread across the globe, in such areas as East and West Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa – as this means, we can support local economies, reduce transport, but also keep customers happy by supplying them what they want, when they want it.”
