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Politics of Food

"With no federal subsidies and no "middle men," farmers' markets have increased by 79 percent since 1994 adding up to more than 3,100 markets in 50 states. The number of farmers who sell at them has tripled to 67,000, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sales topped $1 billion last year, and three million Americans each week get fresh food directly from farmers who grew it.

"In an era when ten major grocery chains control purchase of 50 percent of fresh food," writes Timothy Egan of The New York Times, "the proliferation of open-air markets is allowing many small farmers to stay in business." By cutting out the middle man, direct-sale farmers can make 40 to 60 percent more than selling to wholesalers."

—"Local Farmers' Markets Surge", Business, Sep/Oct2002, Vol. 24, Issue 5

Websites

Ecotrust's Food and Farms: Learn more about local area food issues.
SlowFood: An international movement concerned with the affect fast food has on society and life.

Suggested reading

Bitter Harvest: A Chef's Perspective on the Hidden Dangers in the Foods We Eat and What You Can Do About It: 641.3 C776b 2000

The subtitle says it best!
Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods: 641.013 N115c 2002

Nabhan spent a year combating the globalization of the food industry by eating only locally grown foods.
Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm: 979.482 M424e

A California farmer chronicles his attempts to market the exquisite Sun Crest peach to a public willing to buy less-juicy peaches with a longer shelf life.
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal: 394.10973 S345f

And it is dark! From the underpaid youth who serve you burgers to the inhumane treatment of animals, this scathing indictment of the fast food industry will send you running to the nearest farmers market.
Fields of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It: 631.584 A152f 2005

One farmer's memoir of an odyssey in search of small sustainable farms and farmers. From one end of the country to the other, the author's musings are accompanied by recipes for farm fresh foods and beautiful photographs.
Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen: 641.302 L

Ideas for stocking your organic kitchen along with original recipes and suggestions for turning your bad eating habits around.
Hope's Edge: the Next Diet for a Small Planet: 613.262 L316h 2002

A pioneer writer on the subject of a sustainable food supply adds new research to her thoughts on vegetarianism, hunger and globalization.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals: 394.10973 P771o 2006

Pollan reports on industrial food, organic food and food that is hunted or gathered. He explores oil and agribusiness, the pharmaceutical industry and food production as well as the slow food movement and grass-fed livestock . The author of the wildly popular Botany of Desire makes you think about what you might have for dinner tonight.