Food Politics - 9780199322381

The politics of food is changing fast. In rich countries, obesity is now a more serious problem than hunger. Consumers once satisfied with cheap and convenient food now want food that is also safe, nutritious, fresh, and grown by local farmers using fewer chemicals. Heavily subsidized and underregulated commercial farmers are facing stronger push back from environmentalists and consumer activists, and food companies are under the microscope. Meanwhile, agricultural success in Asia has spurred income growth and dietary enrichment, but agricultural setbacks in Africa have left one-third of all citizens undernourished - and the international markets that link these diverse regions remain subject to sudden disruption.

The second edition of Food Politics has been thoroughly updated to incorporate the most recent research and the latest developments on today's global food landscape, including price spikes, biofuels policies, famine and food aid, obesity, food retailing, urban agriculture, and food safety. The second edition also provides an expanded discussion of the links between water, food, and climate, and chapters have been added on livestock, meat and fish, and also on the future of food politics.

Paarlberg's book offers evidence in place of myth, challenging more than a few of today's fashionable beliefs about farming and food. For those ready to have their thinking about food politics informed and also challenged, this remains the book to read.