In the United States, food is abundant and cheap but loaded with hidden costs to the environment, human health, animal welfare, and the people who work in our food systems. The country's current food production systems lack diversity in crops and animals and are intensified but not sustainable, inhumane in the treatment of animals, and inconsiderate of labor. In order to feed the world's rapidly growing population with high-quality, ethically produced food, new food production systems are urgently needed. These new systems must be genetically diverse and environmentally sustainable, and they need to follow internationally recognized animal welfare and labor practices.

Feeding the World Well examines these costs of cheap food while presenting a unique framework for ethical food systems: the Core Ethical Commitments, which are designed to guide consumers in choosing foods that are aligned with their values while helping producers enhance the ethics of their practices and products. Edited by Alan M. Goldberg, the volume features contributions from leading ethicists and food systems experts. Addressing complex issues such as climate change, worker exploitation, obesity, antibiotic resistance, wasted food, and biotechnology, the book discusses the fundamental forces that have shaped, and will continue to shape, our food systems. It also describes some of the approaches that food companies and nonprofit organizations are using to address the ethical challenges facing these food systems. Finally, the book explains what the Core Ethical Commitments are (and what they are not), how they were developed, and how they might be used by food system actors.

By bringing together an all-star group of contributors from academia and industry, Feeding the World Well sets a new course for food production and how it is evaluated. By including the voices of industry leaders alongside those of researchers and regulators, the book prepares the food production industry for a world in which ""ethical"" or ""sustainable"" production practices are not only trendy but necessary to ensure that we can feed the world's growing population. Conceived as a textbook for food studies courses, this volume will appeal to anyone who is strongly interested in food, including conscious consumers, food industry leaders, researchers, and policy makers.

Contributors: Anne Barnhill, Martin W. Bloem, Jonathan Bloom, Nicole M. Civita, Claire Davis, Michiel van Dijk, Adele Douglass, Shauna Downs, Kevin Esvelt, Ruth Faden, Jessica Fanzo, Evan Fraser, Maisie Ganzler, Tara Garnett, Sara Glass, Alan M. Goldberg, Christopher Good, Meredith Kaufman, Gillian Kelleher, Frederick L. Kirschenmann, Herman B. W. M. Koëter, Jennifer Kuzma, Kees van Leeuwen, Robert Martin, Anne E. McBride, Suzanne McMillan, Tom Morley, Marion Nestle, Peter O'Driscoll, Lance B. Price, Marie Luise Rau, Bernard Rollin, Yashar Saghai, Susan A. Schneider, Ellen K. Silbergeld, Paul B. Thompson, Paul Willis, Sylvia Wulf

List of ContributorsAcknowledgmentsSection 1: The Big Picture1. Introduction, by Alan M. Goldberg2. Feeding the World (Well): The Moral Imperative, by Jessica Fanzo3. Malnutrition, Food Systems, and Climate Action, by Martin W. BloemSection 2: Food Systems in Context4. The Agriculture We Deserve, by Ellen K. Silbergeld5. The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production in America: Lessons Learned, by Robert Martin6. Agriculture in Transition, by Frederick L. Kirschenmann7. Agriculture and the Current U.S. Regulatory Landscape: Agricultural Exceptionalism, by Susan A. Schneider and Meredith Kaufman8. U.S. Oversight of GM Crops, by Jennifer Kuzma9. Conflicts of Interest in Food and Nutrition Research, by Marion Nestle10. Global Food Demand Projections: A Review, by Michiel van Dijk, Yashar Saghai, Marie Luise Rau, and Tom MorleySection 3: Contemporary Challenges and Complexities in Food Ethics Environment11. Environmental Impact, by Tara Garnett12. Water Utilization and Impact, by Kees van Leeuwen13. The Impact and Opportunity of Wasted Food, by Jonathan Bloom14. Climate Change and Food Production: Big Worries, Uncertain Impacts, by Evan Fraser15. Primary Agricultural Production: Crops and Farmers, by Paul B. Thompson16. Ethics Over Exploitation: Urgent Moral Issues Associated with Labor and Communities in the Food System, by Nicole Civita17. Equitable Food Initiative, by Peter O'Driscoll18. How Food Systems Support and Undermine Public Health, Nutrition, and Community Well-Being: Some Ethical Concerns and Controversies, by Anne Barnhill19. Food Safety, by Herman B.W.M. Koëter20. Antibiotic Resistance, by Lance B. Price21. Farm Animal Welfare and Human Health, by Alan M. Goldberg22. Animal Welfare, by Bernard Rollin23. Biotechnology and Animal Well-Being, by Kevin Esvelt24. Certified Humane, by Adele DouglassSection 4: Case Studies25. Niman Ranch, by Paul Willis26. Menus of Change, by Anne E. McBride27. Bon Appétit Management Company, by Maisie Ganzler28. Wegmans, by Gillian Kelleher29. US Foods, by Sylvia Wulf30. Water Recirculating Aquaculture Systems and the Future for Land-based, Closed-Containment Salmon Production, by Christopher GoodSection 5: The Core Ethical Commitments: A Framework for Ethical Food Systems31. The Ethical Basis for Choose Food, by Anne Barnhill, Nicole Civita, and Ruth Faden32. The Core Ethical Commitments, by Anne Barnhill, Nicole Civita, Claire Davis, Shauna Downs, Ruth Faden, Sara Glass, Alan M. Goldberg, Herman B.W.M. Koëter, Bernard Rollin, Paul B. Thompson, Kees van Leeuwen, and Suzanne McMillanIndex