Book Summary: The Politics Of Food Questions

The Politics of Food questions where responsibility lies for the mass numbers of individuals suffering from malnutrition and lack of food on a daily basis. Schanbacher brings to light unfair global trade arrangements and the failure of an unjust neoliberal theory and policy to meet the needs of developing countries. Schanbacher also addresses the issue regarding the contradiction amongst food security and food sovereignty, and how these two terms are defined based on various organizations and the conflicting parameters they have offered for what they consider to define malnutrition and hunger. Schanbacher poses questions as to how organizations address global poverty, and how poverty is perceived by these organizations. Schanbacher provides many examples as to how many developing, poorer countries have essentially been tricked by the Government to participate in different programs which seemingly aim for a positive outcome. Instead, these programs have led to failure in

There has been so much deception, manipulated promises, and one-sided policies, which have essentially led to cultural discrimination, and lack of acknowledging food as a fundamental human right for all. What was even more frustrating, was the incredible hardships imposed on the rural poor in developing countries due to these misleading trade agreements. Essentially, the United States and Europe are benefiting from the policies currently in place. While these policies are supposed to assist countries who are in financial hardship, industrialized countries are the only ones who benefit. The issue of ethics comes into play when asking ourselves the question of whether or not, as consumers of an affluent country, it is our duty to help countries less