The Global Food System: A Brief Guide To The Conflicting Logics Of Food

“The story of the modern global food system is the story of unintended consequences. It’s the story of a causal logic run amok. It’s the familiar story of how we’re all intimately connected without quite grasping just how intimately. It’s the deeply disturbing story of a system characterized by historic injustice that continues to produce injustice today. It’s a story that goes to the throbbing, bleeding heart of sustainability. Finally, it’s the worldchanging story of what we do when faced with the reality of such a narrative. It can, without being hyperbolic, be called the mother of all systemic problems.”

The struggle for food stretches back as far as we can remember. The modern food system is unlike anything we have ever seen before. While the promise that we can feed everyone on earth seems tantalizingly close, our food systems are getting more and more complex. How are we to understand this complexity? How has the global food system evolved over the years? How are we to understand this vast, globalized and interconnected system?

The Global Food System provides a short, sharp and accessible introduction to anyone interested in food and the challenge of how we produce food.