Power and Place in Food Systems: From Global to Local

At first glance, the globalization of food production, distribution, and consumption appears to bridge social and spatial distances, thereby providing greater access to food. In recent decades, consumers in affluent places such as the United States have seen a proliferation of ethnic dining options that make distant cuisines more accessible than ever before (Warde, 2000). Likewise, we are regularly reminded of how far many foods in a complex, global food system must travel before reaching our plates (Schnell, 2013). Americans might enjoy a fruit salad, for instance, that features pineapple from the Philippines, cantaloupe from Guatemala, and grapes from Chile. Yet the wealth and diversity of food offerings that our global food system affords in some places is countered by a lack of plenty in others. Rather than creating abundance and variety for all food consumers, the contemporary agri-food industry perpetuates inequalities in food access, reproduces food insecurity, homogenizes the global food supply, and poses risks to the natural environment. In attempting to eradicate the constraints of place, the food systems on which we rely too often exacerbate or generate stark place-based inequalities.