“Michael Carolan is one of the world’s leading scholars in the political
economy of food and farming. In this book he harnesses his considerable
skills as a social scientist and public intellectual to argue that the global
food system is not only based upon questionable and shaky, biological, eco-
nomic and social foundations, but also fails to deliver what it promises –
nutritional, healthy and affordable food for a burgeoning world population.
Professor Carolan presents a comprehensive and compelling analysis of the
forces shaping current food and farming trajectories, the winners and losers
in the food system, the options available to those wanting to challenge and,
ultimately, to overhaul today’s unsustainable global foodscape.”
Geoffrey Lawrence, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of
Queensland, Australia
“A very readable romp through the breadth and depth of externalities gen-
erated by capitalism’s demand for cheap food.”
Raj Patel, Research Professor, Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs,
University of Texas at Austin, US
“With food continuing to comprise a declining share of household expendi-
ture in rich and middle-income countries, a trend heralded by proponents
as a vindication of the modern food system, Carolan provides a necessary
wake-up call alerting us to the widely accumulating problems that conven-
tional price calculations ignore. Almost encyclopaedic in range yet entirely
conversational in tone, this book strikes just the right note in exploring
how fundamentally fawed our ‘cheap food’ system is. Set to become a food
student’s bible!”
Colin Sage, author of
Environment and Food
(2012), University College
Cork, Republic of Ireland
The Real Cost of Cheap Food
This thought- provoking but accessible book critically examines the
dominant food regime on its own terms, by seriously asking whether we
can afford cheap food and by exploring what exactly cheap food affords
us. Detailing the numerous ways that our understanding of food has nar-
rowed, such as its price per ounce, combination of nutrients, yield per acre,
or calories, the book argues for a more contextual view of food when
debating its affordability. The frst edition, published in 2011, was widely
praised for its innovative approach and readability.
In this new edition the author brings all data and citations fully up to
date. Increased coverage is given to many topics including climate change,
aquaculture, fnancialization, BRICS countries, food- based social move-
ments, gender and ethnic issues, critical public health and land succession.
There is also greater discussion about successful cases of social change
throughout all chapters, by including new text boxes that emphasize these
more positive messages.
The author shows why today’s global food system produces just the
opposite of what it promises. The food produced under this regime is in
fact exceedingly expensive. Many of these costs will be paid for in other
ways or by future generations and cheap food today may mean expensive
food tomorrow. By systematically assessing these costs the book delves
into issues related, but not limited, to international development, national
security, healthcare, industrial meat production, organic farming, corpo-
rate responsibility, government subsidies, food aid and global commodity
markets. It is shown that exploding the myth of cheap food requires we
have at our disposal a host of practices and policies.
Michael Carolan is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Associ-
ate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs, College of Liberal Arts, Colo-
rado State University, USA. He is the author of several books including
The Sociology of Food and Agriculture
(Routledge),
Cheaponomics: The
High Cost of Low Prices
(Routledge) and
No One Eats Alone: Food as a
Social Enterprise
(Island Press).。