Food Sovereignty in the United States: Supporting Local and Regional Food Systems

Today, perhaps more than ever, an increasing portion of U.S. society is paying attention to and asking questions about our food and agricultural system. We are recognizing the immense consequences of the agricultural efficiencies we valued and wrote into our policies in the seventies-for example, growing corn fence row to fence row and the ease ofmicrowaved meals and prepackaged foods. 3 The increasingly global nature of our food system and its consequences are becoming more apparent. Food safety concerns-prompted by a growing number of foodborne illness outbreaks and the government\u27s response in the 2009 Food Safety Modernization Act-loom large and seem increasingly unpredictable