Hi-Lo supermarket offers a wide range of food items to its customers. Therefore, persons are not restricted to certain food groups as there is diversity at their disposal. Many urban areas in Trinidad are dotted with supermarkets such as these catering to the increased demand and change in taste for many urban dwellers. In addition, the prices of these items displayed here in this photo are often influences by the socio-economic development of urbanites. Now what effect does this fluctuation in prices has on those that do not fall within the category of being capable in acquiring such food items? This photo therefore gives a slight insight into the disparities between urban ad rural areas as a result of our urban diets.
We cannot take a look at urbanization without examining the
relationships between rural and urban areas. As we know cities are places of
unequal spaces, this inequality also spreads beyond the political boundaries of
cities. This disparity may be seen between the quality and quantity of food
consumption between rural and urban areas which me be brought on by income
levels, time constraint and exposure to commercial products (Delishe 1990).
It has been shown that urban dwellers consume fewer staples
than rural dwellers. This difference may due to the fact that staples are cheap
and affordable for rural persons. On the other hand, persons within urban areas
generally have a higher income and are able to purchase a wider variety of foods.
Another reason for this disparity can be as a result of lower energy
requirements of urbanites. The urban lifestyle is very sedentary, with many
persons working from home or offices in service industries, while persons in
rural are still heavily employed in primary sectors such as agriculture and
fisheries. With respect to such disparities more urban dwellers are developing
a greater taste for meat products and less of vegetables and fruits when
compared to urban areas. These disparities are also present in Trinidad. From a
survey conducted, it was fund that urban dwellers consumed more animal
products, sweeteners and oils, while rural persons consumed staples and legumes
(FAO 2003). These interactions are not
occurring in isolation but these differences in consumption and socio-economic
status may affect the supply of products between rural and urban areas. As the
economic status of many urban areas increase, there is often an associated
increase in the prices of commodities. As this happens the poorer rural
populations cannot afford these products which can lead to a whole list of
associated problems such as malnutrition of in some extreme cases such as the
Bengal Famine in 1943.
With this disconnect between the consumption patterns of
rural verses urban, what are the possible future consequences? I believe that
there must be some good relations between rural and urban areas t ensure food
security and sustainability in spite of our changing urban diets.
References
FAO 2003. FAO
Nutrition Country Profiles- Trinidad and Tobago. Accessed April 5, 2014. ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/agn/nutrition/ncp/ttomap.pdf.
Delishe,
Helene. 1990. Patterns of Urban Food Consumption in Developing Countries:
Perspective From the 1980’s. Accessed March 15, 2014. ftp://ftp.fao.org/es/esn/nutrition/urban/delisle_paper.pdf.
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