The Food System - a guide
The Food System is required or recommended reading for people studying food on various courses around the world - even though it was published in 1995.
"The Food System remains a seminal text that explains the key workings and structures of the modern food system and is an indispensable reference point for students of food policy. It is a clearly expressed and well laid out text, providing much needed clarity in an area of increasing complexity."
Dr. David Barling,
Reader in Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy,
City University, London, March 2013
It is still available to buy but is now a print on demand book. This means it may take a little longer to be delivered. Buy from the publisher, amazon, or order through your local bookshop.
Contents
1. Introduction
Part 1 Food matters
2. Food and the biosphere
3. Modern food - where did it come from?
4. Food, culture and human needs.
Part 2 From farm to mouth - the key actors
5. Farmers, workers and traders
6. Processors, distributors and caterers
7. Consumers.
Part 3 Food control: tools for control
8. Science, technology, information and management
9. Food law and food policy.
10. Conclusion.
Praise on publication
'Frank, devastatingly honest and expertly researched, this is the essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the global food jigsaw.... If you want to understand why the world feeds itself in the way it does, you must read this book.'
Derek Cooper, The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4
'This is a book we have been waiting for! It opens the door and guides the reader into the complicated web of resources, resource management and the often conflicting interests of consumers, producers and markets constituting the food system in the rich world — which also directly or indirectly affects the poor.... The book is organised in a new and original way, and is highly readable, thanks to people who know how to serve their words in appetising dressings!'
Wenche Barth Eide, Nordic School of Nutrition, University of Oslo; formerly Technical Adviser in Nutrition to
the International Fund for Agricultural Development
'This extremely valuable book is the first in the field. It gives an excellent overview of the food system today and policy issues surrounding it. It will make an excellent textbook for many specialist courses ... which need the perspective provided by this book. '
Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, Thames Valley University
'This is the best text I have found to support my course because it shows the reality of food policy issues from an international perspective. It contains excellent coverage of all the major issues and I particularly like the case studies incorporated throughout.'
Mary Mahoney, Course Director, Faculty of home Economics, Science and Humanities,
Bath College of Higher Education
'This book provides a well balanced and informed source of reference as well as a good read. The structure of the book is very helpful. It draws together scientific, economic and political material, stresses their interrelated nature and discusses each of them in a language which is not too technical for the ordinary reader to follow.'
John S Marsh, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Director of the Centre for Agricultural Strategy, University of Reading
'This will be an extremely useful addition to the food studies area, and will definitely be on the essential reading list for students. The book ... will form the basis of reading for students at a wide range of levels. It can be used as a general introduction to the complexity of food today. It provides useful and stimulating material for those at higher levels, and the examples given are elaborated sufficiently well to allow further investigation.'
Stella M Walsh, Consumer Services Management, Leeds Metropolitan University