ABSTRACT
The concept of food security has been the subject of various debates and reconfigurations over time. This chapter reviews the concept of food security and offer a brief historical account, concluding that there is a bias in the scientific literature towards production issues. It focuses upon poverty and food insecurity from a consumption perspective by addressing three prominent debates: the relationship between poverty, food insecurity and 'bad' eating habits; the link between poverty and obesity; and finally the effects of food aid in low-income families. The chapter summarizes the main arguments and offers pointers for future research. Social studies on poverty and food insecurity in developed countries share a common framework of analysis, all focusing on the relationship between food and inequality. The chapter discusses the lack of consistency in the use of terminology, an aspect in which future research should work towards conceptual clarity and consolidate theoretical perspectives on this topic.
