Importance of the Food Industry

There is no question as to what it has been historically for the human being the most relevant and powerful economic activity. We talk about food production. While for many centuries the human being produced his food manually, that is, obtaining from the nature the necessary foods and transforming them with their own hands into more complex products, in which In recent centuries, Humanity has developed machinery that produces food at great speed and much greater scale. That is the food industry and its importance has to do directly with our survival.

Production capacity taken almost to infinity

From the Industrial Revolution (historical phenomenon that took place in England in the middle of the 18th century) the history of humanity would never be the same again. It was there, at that time, that the known mode of production was transformed into something absolutely new. With the machines that made it possible to manufacture cloth, coal, metals, and many other products on a large scale, the food industry also began to develop. This industry had as its main objective the production of food in large quantities and in less time.

Food factories experienced a boom that was being able to count on highly complex machines that did the work of many people faster and with more precision. At the same time, machines were developed that had to do with hygiene and safety, since they could be pasteurize foods that used to spoil in less time and thus durable foods such as we know today. Finally, the machines that pack and pack have accelerated the closing time of the product to then be distributed everywhere.

Pros and cons of the only industry that will never stop being consumed

The food industry has in its favor that those products that are generated thanks to it will never cease to be necessary. Thus, its importance in societies around the world is central. The benefits of this economic area also have to do with the fact that it allows food to be produced for a much larger number of people. populationTherefore, what was previously done by hand now abounds and can reach more people. Food that previously belonged to certain elites can now be consumed on a massive scale.

The cons of this industry have to do with the fact that, being one of the most dynamic, it requires a large amount of resources and controls, which damages the environment, that the production processes are not always hygienic and healthy, that the waste from such production can really harm the planet.

Fotolia image: Mark Stay, Mzayyad