The Food Environment

The Food Environment encompasses how food is produced and processed, how and to where it is transported, and where and how it is sold and consumed. The chapter evaluates the environmental issues along each of these food system pathways. These include the shifting patterns of agriculture in Los Angeles (and California), Hong Kong, and Mainland China; the rise of food retail as a central force in the food system; and the changing patterns of consumption, including the rise of a fast food culture. It also explores the search for alternatives through such initiatives as farm to school and community supported agriculture and the cultural and ethnic traditions and food culture that have survived the rise of industrial food and fast food. It examines the problems of food safety and food insecurity and the increasingly global character of the food system, including the global food production and retail companies.