Food firms need to hedge their bets globally

Global political sabre-rattling makes the world a difficult place to do business.

The term global village was coined some 50 years ago to describe what was seen as a shrinking world where cultures would become more enmeshed, as airline travel made access between different parts of the globe a matter of hours rather than weeks or months, and technological advances started to make real time interaction a fact.

Today, it is difficult to visit any major world city without it appearing that your local main street had been transposed to the other side of the globe. It’s comforting in one way, but oh so boring in another. Businesses in Ireland and elsewhere also see the rest of the world as an opportunity to market their goods and services.