foods are produced cheaply due to machinery or dangerous to people's health ??

ĐỀ 19/5/2012

Foods have been produced cheaply due to improved fertilizer and better machinery. However, some people believe that this is dangerous to our health. Agree or disagree?

Food safety is a matter of concern to people. To some, the idea of using chemicals and machines may diminish the quality of food and people’s health, but others hold the idea that there is nothing to worry about. I think that there are more hazards behind fertilizers and better machinery for the following reasons.

It is believed that the existence of cutting-edge technology can mass-produce and cheapen food. The world used to suffer poverty, but now with the output increasing, this concern is eased. The problem is that the natural food contaminated with the exposure of technical or metal parts in machines is proven to be of lower quality. Sometimes, unwanted chemicals are born as a result of such interaction between food and heavy metals in machinery, resulting in the possible poisoning and health deterioration. Equally important, when it comes to lower living standards in remote areas, it is true that the investment in machinery is far from easy. In case of successfully applying better machinery in the production of food, the cost is boosted, actually while the quality is not yet guaranteed.

Another reason in favor of the former view is that fertilization is regarded to add more value to food. Plants, as a result of suffering natural disasters or unwanted effects, are hardly preserved, yet with the aid of compost and some other chemicals, their longevity is ensured. Scientific studies, though, have shown that the quality of soil has been eroded as a consequence of the constant process of fertilizing in land. In the long term, this also triggers lower output and more new diseases for the plants and land, especially when the latter ones are resistant to the usage of herbicide or pesticide. A number of people who consumed such diseased-planting food are more likely to undergo side-effects or have problems with digestion, despite the promising high productivity of this process. The food fertilized may, too, look less aesthetically natural, which may decrease people’s appetite.

All things considered, I strong believe that improved machinery and fertilizer do more harm than good. Hence, governments should take into consideration these new applications.

-         Contaminate (v) làm bẩn, làm ô uế, làm hư hỏng, làm nhiễm bệnh

-         Exposure (n) sự phơi bày, quảng cáo, công bố

-         Poison (n) chất độc (v) làm hư bằng chất độc hại

-         Remote (adj) xa xôi, hẻo lánh

-         Fertilize (v) làm cho phì nhiêu, màu mỡ, (sinh vật học) thụ phấn, thụ tinh

-         Herbicide (n) thuốc diệt cỏ

-         Pesticide (n) thuốc trừ sâu

-         Resistant (adj)  có sức chịu đựng, có sức kháng cự

-         Appetite (n) sự ngon miệng

-         Aesthetically (adv) có thẩm mỹ, về mặt thẩm mỹ

Food is transported thousands of miles from the farm to the market

ĐỀ 3/11/2011

Food is transported thousands of miles from the farm to the market. Is it a positive or negative trend?

We all need food to survive. It is thought that with the domination of cutting-edge technology, such as airplane, food is accessible to everywhere while others see it as a danger, rather than a boon. I totally support the mobile trend in food distribution.

First of all, opponents of this tendency argue that the spread of food to far-away places is cost-ineffective. Such fees related to gasoline, transportation delivery, staff management and other types of insurance are way beyond the pocket of suppliers. However, economically, it bestows upon both producers and consumers more noticeable benefits. Due to scarcity of food in some areas, as a result of frozen or extremely scorching weather, crop failures are predictable, leading to a sky-rocketing price. Hence, with the in-time delivery from other zones which are available in this type of needed food, the prices can be curbed and their taste is fully satisfied while businessmen who truly prioritize the demand of customers over others gain a huge amount of profit. Besides, as living standards of human escalates non-stop, their need for varied food, from eastern to western, is more urgent than ever, especially in times of globalization. As there goes a saying “variety is the spice of life”, food transported from thousands of miles away from its farm is inevitable.

The second disadvantage of this trend is believed to trigger the inability to control the quality of food and growing dependence of each nation. The past has shown that Roman, as a consequence of relying on food chain supply of other nations, ever saw its power going into steep decline whereas the task of far-distance distribution can hardly ensure the thorough examination between suppliers and buyers, and trigger unwanted virus damaging the food. Nevertheless, gone are the days that food was easily ruined by external factors when refrigerators and other types of modern innovations are employed to keep food fresh and pasteurize it effectively. Another point is that Roman might have seen a quick economic recovery if successfully developing other industries to compensate for their lack of food supply. Geographically, each nation is born to be in a location which could be either suitable or hostile to food production, but by focusing on their inherent strengths and exchanging their products, food supply and other types of products are readily accessible to both, and at the same time, this is conducive to heightening the specialization in their production and maximizing their output in general. Moreover, with this trend growing ever-prevalent, procedures of supervising food set up by food experts are internationalized. Entering the market of Wal-mart in America, customers are able to choose the lowest price dishes from all walks of life, even Vietnam, the other side of the world, while still feeling satisfied with their quality by dint of clear markings of out-of-date and usage attached to each item. Equally important, this tendency is a contributor to pressuring local food companies to continuously enhance their quality; otherwise, customers will turn to other markets for better ones with less cost.

All things considered, I strongly hold onto the view that more gains than pains are realized in this scenario for its cost-effective, motivational, win-win benefits for customers, producers and governments. 

-             Domination (n) sự thống trị

-         Boon /bu:n/ (n) lợi ích = profit = benefit

-         Accessible (adj) dễ dàng đến được/ hiểu được/ sử dụng được

-         Cost-effective (adj) mang lại lợi nhuận, sinh lợi > < cost-ineffective

-         Gasoline = petrol : xăng # gas  - crude oil : dầu thô

-         Scarcity (n) sự khan hiếm

-         Scorching (adj) nóng như thiêu như đốt > < frozen

-         Curb (v) kiềm chế, hạn chế

-         Spice (n) gia vị

-         Trigger (v) gây ra

-         Pasteurize (v) tiệt trùng, diệt khuẩn, tiêm chủng

-         Thorough (adj) cẩn thận, kỹ lưỡng = careful = cautious

-         Hostile (adj) thù địch, bất lợi, có hại, không thuận lợi > < suitable