Food Fears: From Industrial to Sustainable Food Systems

With escalating rates of diabetes, cancer and obesity, excessive food miles and the consequences for global climate change, farm crises, food insecurity and the 'fast food' culture, the industrial food system of the West is increasingly perceived as problematic. The physical, social and intellectual distance between consumers and their food stems from a food system that privileges quantity and efficiency over quality, with an underlying assumption that food is a commodity, rather than a source of nourishment and pleasure.However, in the wake of various food scares, there is growing momentum from consumers to change the food they eat; which in turn acts as a catalyst for the industry to adapt and for alternative systems to evolve. Drawing on a wealth of empirical research into mainstream and alternative food systems in North America, this book argues that sustainable, grass roots, local food systems offer a template for meaningful individual activism as a way to bring about change from the bottom up, while at the same time creating pressure for policy changes at all levels of government. This movement signals a shift away from market economy principles and reflects a desire to embody social and ecological values as the foundation for future growth.