Food Fears

The industrial food system of the West is increasingly perceived as problematic. The physical, social and intellectual distance between consumers and their food stems from a food system that privileges quantity and efficiency over quality, with an underlying assumption that food is a commodity, rather than a source of nourishment and pleasure. In the wake of various food and health scares, there is a growing demand from consumers to change the food they eat, which in turn acts as a catalyst for the industry to adapt and for alternative systems to evolve. Drawing on a wealth of empirical research into mainstream and alternative North American food systems, this book discusses how sustainable, grass roots, local food systems offer a template for meaningful individual activism as a way to bring about change from the bottom up, while at the same time creating pressure for policy changes at all levels of government. This movement signals a shift away from market economy principles and reflects a desire to embody social and ecological values as the foundation for future growth. Chapter 1 Food Fear: Making Connections, Alison Blay-Palmer, Betsy Donald; Chapter 2 The Industrial Revolution of Food, Alison Blay-Palmer; Chapter 3 ‘It's All About the Sizzle’, Alison Blay-Palmer; Chapter 4 Growing Distances: The Separation of Farmers, Ecologies and Eaters, Alison Blay-Palmer; Chapter 5 Translating Fear: Mad Cows, Killer Carrots and Industrial Food, Alison Blay-Palmer; Chapter 6 Eating Organic in an Age of Insecurity, Betsy Donald, Alison Blay-Palmer; Chapter 7 Manufacturing Food Fear, Alison Blay-Palmer, Betsy Donald; Chapter 8 Creating Mutual Food Systems, Alison Blay-Palmer;