How food reaches the plate: the structure of the food chain

The food chain is both complex and rapidly changing. Food is a physical object, but it is consumed in a social context influenced by local cultures. It is produced and sold through a set of economic exchanges which are in turn conditioned by politics. A key question that then emerges is does the structure of the food chain facilitate or hinder radical change? On the one hand, its very complexity creates spaces in which innovation and experimentation can occur, leading to new ways of producing and delivering food. However, one cannot overlook the presence of substantial corporate power in the food chain from the supply industries to retailers. This can facilitate rapid change, but it can also limit change to those innovations seen to offer new opportunities for profit. While the state is not absent from the food chain, and challenges like climate change call for new forms of innovation, the complex mix of private and public decision-making at multiple levels does not make for the clarity, transparency and a clear sense of direction that radical change requires. The temptation is to muddle through and respond to specific crises rather than pursue a holistic agenda.