During recent years we have seen growing concern about the origin, quality and safety of our food. This text provides an accessible yet comprehensive exploration of the ways in which the environment has shaped food production and consumption and is in turn impacted by these contemporary practices. Taking as its point of departure a concern for sustainability, this book first examines the ecological basis and evolution of agricultural production. It then goes on to describe the development of the modern food system and the powerful corporations that have come to dominate world trade and shape global consumption patterns. It then examines the regulatory environment that has grown in order to placate consumer anxieties in an age of `mad cows' and GM food. Following a discussion of food governance, the final chapters of the book address the recovery of sustainability in the food system.
Grounded throughout with global case studies it will be relevant for all students with an interest in the interrelationships between food, agriculture and environment.