The Texas Food System

Food systems have impacted locals living in small communities as well as larger populations on a global scale. There is more to a food system than meets the eye. Food systems are often accompanied by a multiplicity of effects that impact a society on a social, economic or demographic scale. The environment, society, and available resources all share a vital relationship within the interaction of a working food system. Each step of a food system is affected by demographic and environmental factors, which impacts society in an economical and social way. Before a producer prices or creates a product, he or she must think of how much it is going to cost to make that item and how much they will be able to produce. The price can depend on

People living in arid, semi-arid, coastal areas, or small islands are affected by climate change. Hare stresses that those who are vulnerable to climate change, will experience struggles in the distribution process and well-being of society every time that a natural disaster occurs.

For example, the recent flooding in Texas put a damper on the food system's role in the economy and social well-being. This was due to the demographic location of the state. During this disaster, “seven of the twenty-one food banks in the Feeding Texas network were affected by the storm” (Hester). The main problem stemming from the issue was that the food systems lacked support in having a supply ready for a natural disaster. The warehouses were quickly depleted of food and resources.

After the flood, people in Texas began devising more ways to improve their food system in case of another natural disaster were to occur. Factors such as the packaging that takes place in warehouses needed to be improved. People realized how damaging an event like this was towards a food system. Not only in warehouses, but also on farms, livestock had escaped and disappeared during the flood. Farmers could have probably thought of plans for emergencies as