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  • Book
  • © 2017

Food Insecurity, the Obesity Crisis, and Exploitation in the US Food System

  • Takes on the current interest in food, food security, and food justice in both academia and popular culture
  • Focuses on low-income communities and disparities in their access to nutritionally-dense vs. calorically-dense foods
  • Expands the conversation by demonstrating the importance of participative disparities
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Palgrave Series in Bioethics and Public Policy (PSBPP)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Clement Loo, Robert A. Skipper Jr.
    Pages 1-5
  3. The New Face of Food Insecurity

    • Clement Loo, Robert A. Skipper Jr.
    Pages 7-30
  4. Consent and Exploitation

    • Clement Loo, Robert A. Skipper Jr.
    Pages 31-48
  5. Obesity and Coercion

    • Clement Loo, Robert A. Skipper Jr.
    Pages 49-68
  6. Moving Forward

    • Clement Loo, Robert A. Skipper Jr.
    Pages 69-79
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 81-93

About this book

This book argues that the factors contributing to obesity as a product of food insecurity have risen largely from the exploitation of vulnerable communities. In the past, food insecurity has been understood as primarily a matter of famine, hunger, and undernutrition. Such an understanding is no longer accurate: food insecurity is now also associated with obesity, the rates of which have increased dramatically in the past thirty years, particularly among lower-income communities and communities of color. This is likely the result of changes in the food system, including the reduction of access to fresh produce. Governments and intergovernmental bodies are therefore justified in more vigorously and directly intervening in the food system to ensure that communities have access to foods that contribute to better public health outcomes.

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Minnesota, Morris , Morris, USA

    Clement Loo

  • University of Cincinnati , Wyoming, USA

    Robert A. Skipper, Jr.

About the authors

Clement Loo is Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at University of Minnesota, Morris, US. His research has focused on environmental philosophy, food justice, and environmental assessment. 
Robert A. Skipper, Jr., is Professor and Fellow of the Graduate School in Philosophy at University of Cincinnati, US. His research has focused on the origins and development of evolutionary genetics and particularly the founders of population genetics.  

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access