The Intimate Commodity: Food and the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex in Canada

The Intimate Commodity is the first book to examine power and control within the Canadian food economy, and to blend historical scholarship with new empirical research on the topic. The author examines the rise of the agricultural producers and agrarian movements, and the shift in the balance of power to major food manufacturing consortia and retail food chains. In addition, the social and human impact of these changes during the era of free trade and global economic restructuring are a major component of the work.

Anthony Winson is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph.