ABSTRACT
Sustainable food and beverage management infers a holistic approach respecting the planet, biodiversity and all people in equal measure. The subject of sustainable food cannot be ignored by the hospitality industry although its meaning is complex. The provision of nutritious food that maintains a healthy and active life and respects the environment is known as food security and sustainable agriculture is at its heart. All too often, conventional agricultural systems are unsustainable due to exten sive reliance on fossil fuels and negative impacts on biodiversity. Agriculture in developing countries is the largest employment sector, around 70 per cent of their population work on the land. Trade liberalization can arguably reduce a country’s food security by reducing agricultural employment levels. In the West, we put pressure on the planet’s finite resources in our food and lifestyle choices. Land that could be used for growing cereals for people is used to grow food for animals and for producing bio-fuels. Employment conditions for some workers producing cash crops like cocoa, bananas and coffee are sometimes precarious. The conditions that many farm animals are kept in defy the rules of humanity. The result of consuming cheap food and especially meat in these conditions is a population in the West suffering from ever increasing levels of obesity and food-associated health problems.
