Food System as (Neo)Colonial

Food System as (Neo)Colonial
The global food system can be described as (neo)colonial due to how it is structured and how different groups interact with it. According to Gottlieb and Joshi (2010), the current systems can be traced back to the emergence of mercantile economies, which led to the colonial-dominated and agricultural mono-crop economies. Therefore, this association with colonial history is one of the reasons why the system is colonial. Neocolonialism is a term often associated with pressure and control over former dependencies. In this case, it can be argued that the food system also displays some characteristics of neocolonialism since some of the former dependencies retain a similar relationship with the system. During the colonial period, the colonialists introduced new crops to regions that remain some of the major producers to date. For example, English colonizers introduced cocoa to Ghana, and this country has retained the same system of production. Central and South America and Africa work in a similar manner where the markets for these introduced crops remain the former colonial powers. Even without these powers, the system often operates through the exploitation of labor and maximization of profits by the merchants.
A new form of colonization is conducted not by the countries but by major corporations from nations with controlling power over others. Gálvez (2018) explained that some of the major economic hubs and cities in Mexico have been dominated by America's powerful companies that seek to dominate and control the markets. Examples include KFC, Home Depot, Starbucks, and Mcdonald's, which have overshadowed Mexico's own brand, OXXO. While some of these businesses are not involved in the food system, they illustrate how neocolonialism works. In this case, a few large producers pay low wages to workers in poor working conditions and record improving profitability both at home and abroad. Additionally, the food products that these capitalists introduce tend to elbow out the traditional cuisine due to the efficiencies they offer and the competitive prices. For such countries as the United States, food producers are involved in what can be described as transnational conquest, which means dominating the international markets at the expense of other producers.
It can be argued that globalization, free trade, and liberalization are all aspects that have given the food system its neocolonialist characteristics. In the case of Mexico given above, globalization has...