Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography

by Atkins,Peter

• ISBN13: 9780340720042
• ISBN10: 0340720042
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2000-12-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Food is now a massive international undertaking, and this new textbook provides a broad introduction, encompassing economics, cultural studies, and geography. It can be used in a wide range of courses, from economics to food science to political science and postmodern studies of cultural attitudes. The first part of the book focuses on the political economy of food and traces the supply chain from production to point of sale. It highlights the increasing impact of capitalism on each stage of the process. The second part examines global issues in supply and demand, including famine, world patterns of food aid, and the related geopolitics. The third part is devoted to political ecology and the environmental issues related to food production and consumption. It describes in detail two of the most contentious recent issues, Mad Cow Disease and genetically modified foods. The final section provides a survey of food consumption around the world, including taste preferences, food habits, beliefs, and taboos.

Author Biography

Peter Atkins is a professor at the University of Durham, and Ian Bowler is a professor at the University of Leicester.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Abbreviations	xi
PART I HORS D'OEUVRE
A background to food studies	3	(18)
PART II THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FOOD
Introduction	21	(2)
Food regimes as an organizing concept	23	(14)
Globalization and food networks	37	(19)
Transformation of the farm sector	56	(18)
Food processing and manufacturing	74	(15)
Food marketing and the consumer	89	(16)
PART III GLOBAL AND GEOPOLITICAL FOOD ISSUES
Introduction	105	(2)
Food production and population	107	(16)
Malnutrition, hunger and famine	123	(16)
Food surpluses	139	(15)
Food security	154	(19)
Food, world trade and geopolitics	173	(14)
PART IV A POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF FOOD
Introduction	187	(3)
Food quality	190	(11)
Food and health	201	(19)
From the Green Revolution to the Gene Revolution	220	(17)
Food ethics, food policies and civil society	237	(16)
PART V FOOD CONSUMPTION SPACES
Introduction	253	(2)
Factors in food consumption	255	(17)
The origins of taste	272	(24)
Food habits, beliefs and taboos	296	(15)
Food, gender and domestic spaces	311	(12)
PART VI
Conclusion	323	(2)
Index	325