Cons of vegetarianism
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Vegetarianism hurts and damages regional diets
Many of the foods that are popular among vegetarians are exotic and imported, leaving the people that the food is indigenous to without the staples that they need.
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The Argument
Popular foods such as the avocado and quinoa can only be grown in certain parts of the world. However, their immense demand has pushed prices up so high that locals who have relied on these foods as their staple for years are now unable to afford them. In places that export avocados like Mexico, a kilogram of avocados costs the equivalent of the daily minimum wage.[1] Meanwhile, in places like the Andes where quinoa is grown and exported, the grain has become too expensive for local people to buy, but the grain has been a staple fo the region's diet for years. Vegetarianism has caused people to put certain foods on a pedestal—among them the avocado and quinoa—causing harm to the very people who grow these foods and have always relied on these foods, but are no longer able to obtain them.
Counter arguments
Premises
[P1] Popularity of vegetarianism and of certain foods causes easy access to those foods to be taken away from the people who need it most.