The first and most important thing to say about food,” writes Wayne Roberts in this issue of Alternatives, “is that there is no first and most important thing to know about food.” This apparent riddle summarizes the message in our latest issue “Just Food.” Food is ubiquitous, affecting health, social welfare, agriculture and the economy. By thinking of food holistically – as our report on Belo Horizonte, Brazil, demonstrates – we will begin to implement policies and adopt systems that will result in a healthier population and a more robust economy in which farmers are fairly rewarded for their labours. We invite you to dig into this tasty issue, and decide for yourself whether a food revolution is really in the making.

 Read selected articles and web extras from this issue

Here's what else you get when you buy the issue:

In Brief: A Whale of a Sunburn, Ontario’s Energy Renaissance, Lichen It

Taking It All In - Wayne Roberts
A Department of Food that links agriculture, economics, the environment and health would benefit society in surprising ways. If you doubt it, consider Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Greener Pastures - Chris Lowry
Perhaps descending “Peak Everything” won’t be so bad after all.

Sustainability Suspicions - Mark Jaccard
R&D: Act Three in the Climate-Policy Tragi-Comedy Policy solutions to climate change exist, but we’re unlikely to adopt them.

Review: Poisoned for Profit: How Toxins are making our Children Chronically Ill, Alice and Philip Shabecoff
Reviewed by Stephanie Grylls

Review: Arrival City: The Final Migration and Our Next World, Doug Saunders 
Reviewed by Harry Vandervlist

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