Martin Caraher

Northhampton Square CM516 City

London, UK

John Coveney

Flinders University

Adelaide, Australia

Critically examines food poverty and food insecurity, with the goal of clarifying taken for granted assumptions in present discourses

Introduction.- Food Security Global Overview.- Food Issues Facing New and Emerging Economies of South East Asia.- The Paradox of Undernutrition and Obesity in South Africa: A Contextual Overview of Food Quality, Access and Availability in the New Democracy.- The Right to Food in India - Entitlements as Government Responsibility to Entitlements as Government Obligation.- Food Insecurity and Health Disparities: Experiences from New York City.- Creating New Links Between Agriculture And Food Aid: New Perspectives from France.- Food Banks: Big Society or Shunting Yards? Successful Failures.- The Rise of Food Inequality in Australia.- Work in Progress: Addressing Food Insecurity in Brazil.- Conclusions and Discussion.

This volume is concerned with food poverty and action on food (in)security. The context is a global one; as the developed world faces a problem with overconsumption and chronic diseases, the developing world is addressing the double burden of hunger and over consumption. Even in the developed world, nation states are facing the rise of modern malnutrition which is over consumption, but also the re-emergence of hunger as there are growing levels of poverty and inequality due to the financial crises. Food insecurity is in many people's minds associated with hunger, and while this is true the modern food system has introduced new complexities to food insecurity with the growth of micro-nutrient inequalities. Hunger and obesity are not being faced by two different groups but often the same group or cohort. These are features of modern malnutrition that are often not recognized. A critical examination of food poverty and food security is undertaken, with a view to clarifying taken-for-granted assumptions in present discourses. The book addresses food charity and the rise of solutions such as foodbanks as appropriate social responses. The final chapters explore the solutions from real life situations. The concluding chapter from the editors draws together the issues and locates solutions within a food policy framework of the total food system. The various definitions of food insecurity will are examined. Hunger and its modern manifestations (hunger and obesity) is another focus,with particular explorations of developed and developing countries experiences. Some of the chapters cover how food poverty/insecurity is being addressed and provide examples of work in progress.