Essay idea - Globalisation and Food Safety

a.  Description of a situation
Globalisation has resulted in the world being integrated and interdependent and this also means that countries will be affected by another country's mistake. Melamine-tainted milk causing infants to fall ill resulted in a world wide recall of China products containing melamine and the horse meat scandal where horse DNA was found in supposedly processed beef meat. In 2007, Chinese frozen meat and vegetable dumplings containing pesticide caused food poisoning in Japan (Chanda, 2013).

b.  Identification of a problem

Everyone is susceptible to buying dubious food which may be contaminated. There is a reduced trust in food labels.  Products produced from countries where food scandals occur will be boycotted as consumer confidence drops. A decrease of sales of products from these countries will be seen. At the same time, the public's health is at risk. Food safety has to be ensured.

c.  Description of a solution
Governments should require stringent checks on food imports, enforce strict standards. Impose fines if necessary and set regular checks on production factories. 
Food companies should be required to submit reports on the content of their food, ensure their food is safe for consumption. 
Sellers of global food should also implement measures such as requiring food companies to guarantee the safety of their food in order to prevent contaminated food from being sold.

d. Evaluation of the solution
The solution will only be effective if there is action taken. Although it will be a tedious process to check all the products, the health of the public is safe guarded. The implications of the public being affected by contaminated food is far greater.

e. Thesis/Intro.

Thesis
The rise in food scandals resulting in worldwide issues has shown that more attention should be given to food safety.

Introduction
Globalisation refers to the shift towards a more integrated and interdependent world economy. The ease of transporting and distributing products worldwide has increased. Falling transportation costs and removed trade barriers have enabled companies to sell their products in global supermarkets. In Singapore, a supermarket sells a variety of food and household products imported from countries such as China, America, Malaysia and many more. This expands the choices people have when choosing a particular product to purchase. However, in the recent years, food scandals have been rising.  In 2007, Chinese frozen meat and vegetable dumplings containing pesticide caused food poisoning in Japan (Chanda, 2013).