Food policy and climate change: Uncovering the missing links

The paper investigates the causes of the lack of interest of food policy towards the issue of climate change. In the first section, food policy is scrutinized stemming from some recent contributions of the two related strains of literature on food regime and on private food governance. It is shown that over the last twenty years food policy has been dictated more by neoliberal ideology and corporate power than by ethical concerns over human societies and environmental well-being. The second section analyzes the main obstacles which hinder the implementation of food policies able to contrast climate change. The main conclusion of the paper is that in order to have a climate-friendly food policy it is necessary not only to oppose the economic and political power of corporations but also to challenge neoliberalism on theoretical ground.