Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 298 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2015

Foods travel more than the people who eat them. Grocery stores and supermarkets are loaded with preserved and processed foods. This however, often leads to environmental threats, such as pollution generated by long distance food transportation and wastage of food during processing and transportation, destruction of rain forests, reduced nutritional content, increased demand for preservation and packaging. Food insecurity also increases as the produce comes from regions that are not feeding their own population properly.

With reference to the above passage, which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. Consuming regionally grown food and not depending on long travelled food is a part of eco-friendly behaviour.
  2. Food processing industry puts a burden on our natural resources.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (C)

Both statements are true based on the provided passage.

  • Statement 1: The passage explicitly mentions pollution generated by long-distance food transportation and wastage during processing and transportation as environmental threats. Consuming regionally grown food directly addresses these issues, thus constituting an eco-friendly behavior.
  • Statement 2: The passage links the food processing industry to the destruction of rainforests and increased demand for preservation and packaging. These activities inherently place a burden on natural resources, supporting the assertion that the industry impacts natural resources.

Incorrect Options:

Options (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect because the analysis of the passage confirms the validity of both statement 1 and statement 2.