I think that it is hard to completely separate ourselves from colonialist exchanges of

food within everyday life because it is hard for ethical consumption to exist under

capitalism. Under capitalism, less economically developed countries (LEDC), are

often exploited for their food products and production workers. Most LEDCs are in

Africa and Asia, with examples such as Tanzania, and, Myanmar being colonised by

European colonies. Buying imported food could be an act of colonist exchanges in

the idea that by importing, we are taking that food from the country of origin. We are

taking the parts we want or need without caring about the impact it could have on

that country. This idea was explored in the documentary Darwin’s Nightmare, where

you see real-life damage importing can have to an LEDC. In this documentary, you

see how the fishing industry negatively affects the environment and social

economics of Tanzania. The fish they catch harm the environment themselves, an

introduced species that eats native fish. They also send all the meat to countries

ashore, particularly in Europe, with the scraps of fish being left for locals as its

deemed “too expensive” to sell the fish domestically. European countries funding

and taking from this destructive fish industry to satisfy their own needs and market,

with no regard for how this affects the people of Tanzania is a clear example of

engaging in colonialist exchanges. This also shows how ethical consumption is

impossible under capitalism as not all customers think of what they’re buying and

how that affects the country it comes from. It’s hard to always buy the most ‘ethical’

food options with a limited budget as you’re not allowed to have a lot of choice. Small

changes can be made, if accessible to the person, by gardening, sourcing produce

from farmer’s markets, and making food staples such as bread or plant milk but in

the long run, it’s very hard to avoid colonialist exchanges of food that damage LEDC

under capitalism.