Food is any material consumed to provide nutrition to an organism. In simple terms, food is food that is used to support life. Food is usually of vegetable, animal, or fungi origin, and has necessary nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, or iron. A wide range of food is available in the market, which is consumed by humans and other animals; animals are capable of eating various kinds of food. Plants, on the other hand, cannot eat food that has been placed in their mouths, but may only absorb nutrition from other plants. Plants have the ability to grow, reproduce, store energy and utilize heat.
The food industry is one of the leading economic sectors, with a combined value of more than US $ 760 billion. The food industry provides employment to millions of people in different countries, providing them with monetary remuneration. The food business is highly diversified, with a huge part of food being consumed by people in the rural areas. The food industry is gradually developing with the aim to reduce the consumption of hazardous chemicals and pesticides in agricultural fields, promote the use of organic farming and increase production of healthy foods. These measures have helped to improve the health of people living in food deserts.
A healthy diet promotes a healthy lifestyle and helps to reduce weight. With advances in modern technology, food is becoming more convenient. People are also becoming more health conscious with the advent of new products like organic food, healthy diets, home-grown food, and natural supplements. Thus, if the current trends are to become food deserts, then it seems that the answer is very close to our lips.