The impact of technology on food availability was significant. The railways, steamships, the telegraph were important inventions which transformed the nineteenth-century world as mentioned below:

• Railways, lighter wagons, and larger ships helped move food more cheaply and quickly from faraway farms to final markets.
• Earlier in the trade of meat, animals were shipped live from America to Europe and then slaughtered.
• This system had drawbacks as mentioned below :

i. Animals took more space on the ship.

ii. Many died in the voyage.

iii. Many fell ill and lost weight.

iv. Many became unfit to eat.

• In view of the above, meat was an expensive luxury beyond the reach of the European poor.

Earlier there was less demand due to high prices. The new technology i.e., refrigerated ships, enabled the transport of perishable foods over long distances because now the animals were slaughtered at the starting point and then transported to other places as frozen meat. This reduced the price of meat. The poor could also afford meat and add to their diet. Better living conditions promoted social peace within the country and support for imperialism abroad. Thus, technology made the availability of food products possible in different and faraway places.