ABSTRACT
This chapter presents answer the question of whether intellectual property law can help feed the world by directly relating and linking intellectual property law with the lives of those affected by food insecurity. It examines Nutriset's PlumpyField global supply network, an instance in which intellectual property is being used in the fight against hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity. If, however, we examine the rationale that technological advancement is necessary to overcome the problem of scarcity more closely, and with a sociological imagination, it becomes apparent that developing new technology and producing more food is not the panacea of food insecurity. In the context of food insecurity, technology-based justifications are complicated by the fact that food insecurity is a physical, economic, political and social problem. The chapter shows how intellectual property is being used by a French company, Nutriset, as a vehicle for social change to encourage and support the local production of their food and nutritional products.
