Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know is the third
edition of a book that has been widely used in graduate and undergraduate courses on food and food
...
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Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know is the third
edition of a book that has been widely used in graduate and undergraduate courses on food and food
policy. In an accessible Q&A format, it describes in substantial detail the realities of today’s
food markets, farm production systems, and dietary health challenges. The focus is on the government
policies, and the politics behind these policies, that have shaped our current food systems, both in the
United States and beyond. The topical chapters cover a wide range of global food issues including
population growth, hunger, international food price spikes, humanitarian food aid, global food trade
conflicts, and conflicts over ideal farming systems (green revolution versus agroecology), genetically
engineered foods (GMOs), and challenges linked to climate change. In the second half of the book the
focus shifts more to the United States, examining farm subsidies, livestock industries and CAFOs, farm
chemicals and environmental pollution, food safety, dietary health and obesity, agribusiness, food
companies, and fast food. Finally, the book asks where power lies in the global food system. With
international organizations? With multinational corporations? With civil society organizations (NGOs)?
Or with national governments? In each case, this book reviews opposing arguments before trying to offer
summary judgments, in hopes that readers who disagree will remain open to continued conversation.
Sharing food has always been a good way to manage human disagreement, and this book hopes that an open
sharing of information about opposing arguments will achieve the same goal.
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