Food wars : the global battle for mouths, minds and markets

The growth of a single global market is having far-reaching implications for what we eat and for public health.

In developing countries, endemic problems of a "Western" diet are found alongside food shortages.

What matters now is not just what we eat, but how it has been produced, distributed and processes - a global politics of food and health.

In a full examination of these developments, the authors describe the two quite different paradigms of the production and supply of food that are competing to replace the industrial productionist model dominant over the last century.

One centres on life sciences, the other on an ecological approach. "Food Wars" argues that both have strong support, but one dominates investment.

Both draw on biology, but differ in their social and political understanding.

The authors argue that the outcome of these food wars is hugely important for food security and whether the enormous inequities in the present system are tackled.