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Provoked by concerns about climate change, resource depletion and economic recession, the concept of food security has experienced a renaissance in international policy and research agendas. Despite this interest, the problem of food insecurity in wealthy countries has still not received enough attention. We argue that it is worthy of research and policy focus, because by examining the experiences and perceptions of food security amongst the "global rich", we can develop more critical understandings of the implications of neoliberal constructions of the consumer as a driving force in moves towards more secure food systems. The paper draws on empirical data from shoppers in the United Kingdom to make three key arguments. First, it is important to retain the issue of economic access to food at the heart of discussions of food security, so that the concept is not reduced to the problem of how to increase agricultural productivity. Second, it is necessary to recognize the importance of food quality to consumer perceptions of household food security. Third, consumers do not necessarily share the neoliberal view that consumer choice is the engine for sustainability and food security. On the contrary, consumers in our research were well aware that food prices and the choices made available are shaped by forces beyond the control of individual shoppers. Overall, they expressed uncertainty about what food security means, about the causes of problems in the food system and about who should be responsible for ensuring access to affordable food for healthy living, for all. (Contains 4 tables.)

Endemic problems in EU "lagging rural regions" (LRRs) are well documented and various support mechanisms have long been in place to help overcome structural difficulties. Nevertheless, new rural development architectures are now being sought and some scholars have posited that LRRs may benefit from the "quality (re)turn" in food and a relative shift from long to short food supply chains. The ways in which this "new agriculture" relates to rural development in lagging regions sound fine in theory. However, in practice it is far from clear what will actually happen, where and how. This paper attempts to answer some of these questions and, using a Delphi technique, to forecast those factors likely to influence supply chain development and performance in two LRRs in the UK: West Wales and the Scottish-English Borders. The findings suggest that while most experts willingly accept the socio-economic values that can be gained by localising, shortening and synergising the food chain in LRRs, there are also important barriers that question the emergence of such an agrarian based rural development dynamic. These include the small number and size of "alternative" producers in both locales, with most still locked into industrial forms of production; the restrictive influence of bureaucracy; the shortfall of key intermediaries in both regions' food chains; and the poor provision of key physical infrastructures (e.g. roads, railway and telecommunications). The Delphi method also reveals how expert opinions about rural development in LRRs are contingent and contested, with contradictions emerging within, as well as between, rounds.

Food quality problems have frequently been in the news in China leading to growing concerns amongst consumers. Within this context, Geographical Indications (GIs), as an indicator of quality, are becoming increasingly important in the Chinese agrifood market. However, in the face of a number of GI agrifood scandals reported in the last decade, the effectiveness of contemporary Chinese GI schemes in terms of enhancing agrifood quality is becoming questionable. To discover the underlying reasons for this, the paper first provides an overview of Chinese GI schemes and conceptualises ‘agrifood quality’ using ideas drawn from socio-economic theory and network approaches, with a particular focus on the role of power relationships. It then applies the conceptual framework to case studies examining quality forming processes in three GI networks in Jiangxi Province. The research indicates that the development of Chinese GI networks is driven primarily by the government's intention to increase farmers' and rural incomes, and that the GI schemes examined in this study are characterised by low or basic standards, inappropriate GI issuing procedures and weak government quality inspection programmes. Therefore, the overall conclusion is that the quality of Chinese agrifood products may not be enhanced by GI schemes as currently implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of recent concerns over potential health threats from BSE, E.Coli and genetically modified organisms, food quality is of increasing importance in contemporary British society. Thus food producers, retailers and government institutions are engaged in an attempt to reassure consumers that their food is of high quality and safe to consume. Yet, the concept of `quality' is one which is contested, constructed and represented differently by diverse actors operatingwithin a variety of regulatory and market arenas. The aim of this paper is to focus on one set of actors who interact to construct notions of quality within a niche market arena, namely small producers of regional speciality food products (SFPs) in the south west of England.It emerges that, despite new regulatory frameworks and consumer concerns, producers usually define quality in terms of product specification and attraction rather than through official certification schemesor association with region of origin. Food quality, however defined by producers, is essentially self-regulated and constructed within the context of maintaining stable relationships between producers and buyers. Furthermore, marketing is based on low-cost methods which demand a high personal input of time and energy from the entrepreneur. Quality, therefore, must be understood as a contested notion which is constructed by actors attempting to build stable and lasting networks between themselves and others within the market arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]