ABSTRACT
This chapter places the spotlight on the diverse supply chains shaping Guangzhou’s foodscape, connecting understandings of sustainable consumption with political economies of production and distribution. Against the backdrop of a Chinese food system prioritizing food security and safety, it considers how issues of sustainability underpin, either conspicuously or inconspicuously, the workings of traditional and modern parts of the mainstream food system, as well as how they are dealt with overtly in niche alternative food markets. The chapter also shows where sustainability, both its environmental and social dimensions, can be compromised, particularly in mainstream and modernizing parts of the food system. Through the analysis we draw out where agency and responsibility are located, emphasizing how state, commercial and third sector influences intertwine through diverse supply chain structures.
