ABSTRACT

Historically, central focuses of government policy have been agriculture and the facilitation of agribusiness, these industries forming the cornerstone of the Productionist paradigm. But today, in the newly evolved food economy, farming is no longer the driver it was; agribusiness, adding value to raw foods, has become more powerful. The consumption end of the food supply chain, namely retailing, food service and branded food manufacturers, increasingly dictates the terms and conditions of the consumer food market war; they are the brokers for the future but are not in consensus on any one vision for food. Collectively, corporate powers have consolidated both internationally and throughout the food supply chain, and it is corporate policy, as much as public policy, which is now shaping food policy agendas.