Food Wars

In the years since publication of the first edition of Food Wars much has happened in the world of food policy. This new edition brings these developments fully up to date within the original analytical framework of competing paradigms or worldviews shaping the direction and decision-making within food politics and policy.

The key theme of the importance of integrating human and environmental health has become even more pressing. In the first edition the authors set out and brought together the different strands of emerging agendas and competing narratives. The second edition retains the same core structure and includes updated examples, case studies and the new issues which show how these conflicting tendencies have played out in practice over recent years and what this tells us about the way the global food system is heading. Examples of key issues given increased attention include:

• nutrition, including the global rise in obesity, as well as chronic conditions, hunger and under-nutrition
• the environment, particularly the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, water stress and food security
• food industry concentration and market power
• volatility and uncertainty over food prices and policy responses
• tensions over food, democracy and citizenship
• social and cultural aspects impacting food and nutrition policies.

Tim Lang is Professor of Food Policy at City University London, UK. He has been a consultant to UN agencies, including auditing the Global Top 25 Food Companies on food and health for the WHO. He was a UK Sustainable Development Commissioner, 2006–11, and has worked closely with civil society organisations locally, nationally and internationally. In 2010 he was appointed to the Mayor of London’s Food Board. He is a frequent commentator on food policy in the media.

Michael Heasman is Lecturer in Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Bradford, UK. He has held academic positions at universities including Alberta, Aalborg, SOAS, Reading and Harper Adams. He is Research Fellow at the Centre for Food Policy, City University London. He has been a consultant to Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, VTT in Finland and CSIRO in Australia.