To buy or not?
Claudia Gardner,Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
JAMAICAN FOOD products are known worldwide for their unique taste, flavour and consistency. Can you say Blue Mountain coffee?
The main difference between local and imported products in Jamaica, especially food, usually amounts to little more than a lower price. But more discerning Jamaicans consider other issues when making a choice between local produce and imports, for example, their health and the impact of cheap imports on the local economy.
In an article titled 'Imported bottled water drowning local producers', published in The Gleaner (2006), it was noted that "the country still imports more than 10 times the amount of water it exports" and that "major local bottlers say the Jamaican market is being flooded with imports". The aticle also stated that "the imports have easily filtered into the market because global prices are so low".
COST FACTOR
In many municipal markets like the Cleveland Stanhope Market in Lucea, imported onions and other foreign produce are several dollars cheaper than those locally grown. Imported carrots are cheaper, 'cleaner' and appear fresher, and even without being refrigerated have a long shelf life, which brings to the fore the question of preservatives being used.
But the attractiveness and the long shelf life may be due to, in many cases, the waxing of imported foods by the exporters. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, "wax coatings help retain moisture to maintain quality from farm to table, including when produce is shipped from farm to market, while it is in the stores and restaurants and once it is in the home".
While locally grown produce tend not to be as 'attractive' as imports, the proof of their superiority can only be tested or 'verified' in the eating.
HEAVILY IMPORTED ITEMS
Among some of the heavily imported products to the island are:
- Bottled water
- Ground provisions
- Cereals
- Meat
- Clothes
- Cosmetics
- Appliances