Routledge Food, Globalization and Sustainability

Food is increasingly traded internationally, thereby transforming the organization of food production and consumption globally and influencing most food-related practices. This transition is generating unfamiliar challenges related to sustainability of food provision, the social impacts of international trade and global food governance. Distance in time and space between food producers and consumers is increasing and new concerns are arising. These include the environmental impact of food production and trade, animal welfare, the health and safety of food and the social and economic impact of international food trade. This book provides an overview of the principal conceptual frameworks that have been developed for understanding these changes. It shows how conventional regulation of food provision through sovereign national governments is becoming elusive, as the distinctions between domestic and international, and between public and private spheres, disappear. At the same time multi-national companies and supranational institutions put serious limits to governmental interventions. In this context, other social actors including food retailers and NGOs are shown to take up innovative roles in governing food provision, but their contribution to agro-food sustainability is under continuous scrutiny. The authors apply these themes in several detailed case studies, including organic, fair trade, local food and fish. On the basis of these cases, future developments are explored, with a focus on the respective roles of agricultural producers, retailers and consumers. Review "Approaching the issue of global food provision from a critical social-science perspective, Oosterveer and Sonnenfeld deal with the dynamics, and major issues, surrounding the operation of the contemporary global agri-food system. Their comprehensive and insightful analysis is conceptually rich and raises questions about the possible contributions that consumers, supermarkets and regulatory bodies can make to the development of a more sustainable system of food production and consumption. The book’s easily accessible style will appeal to a wide readership, including an increasingly critical public, academics, students and policy-makers. It is certain to become the leading text in the field of agri-food studies." - Geoffrey Lawrence PhD FASSA, Professor of Sociology, Food Security Focal Area Co-Leader Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia  "Oosterveer and Sonnenfeld’s balanced, comprehensive analysis of global food provisioning is a welcome introduction to the major paradox of our time. Just when the public is finally recognizing the crucial role that farming and food play at the nexus of major challenges to climate, health, hunger, and social stability, governments and international agencies are failing to regulate food and environment. This volume is especially strong in linking theoretical approaches with guidance to individuals, governments, and civil society organizations that value equity and sustainability. With nuanced attention to detail, the authors clearly delineate major dilemmas, such as Fair Trade’s challenge of both becoming mainstream and keeping its transformative vision, and the contradictory role of private retailers in the absence of intergovernmental standards in international trade. These are nicely captured in "take home lessons" at the end of each chapter, and in examples of organizations and practices that are making a difference. This volume is recommended both as an introduction to the topic across social science disciplines, and as an up-to-date synthesis of cascading studies and real-world initiatives." - Harriet Friedmann, Professor of Geography, Planning and Sociology Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto  "Food, Globalization and Sustainability is an extraordinarily comprehensive and thoughtful study of contemporary food provisioning dynamics, and the new questio