Food Politics: A Matter of Democracy

America’s overabundant food system and the consequences of food-marketing practices occur in the context of increasing centralization and globalization of the food industry and of altered patterns of work, welfare, and government. The food system is only one aspect of society but it is unusual in its universality: everyone eats. Because food affects lives as well as livelihoods, the politics of food generates substantial attention from the industry and the government, as well as from advocates, nutrition and health professionals, the media, and the public at large. No matter what the specific area of controversy over food issues, all reflect several recurrent themes central to the functioning of democratic institutions.