Ben Fine is Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Economic Policy for Southern Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His previous work includes The World of Consumption with Ellen Leopold and was published by Routledge in 1993. Michael Heasman is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Food Policy, Thames Valley University, London. He has researched widely on different aspects of the food economy. Judith Wright is a Research Officer at the Social Statistics Research Unit, City University. She has undertaken research using a variety of large social survey datasets.

• Part I From food studies to food systems 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 2 FOOD STUDIES: AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT Part II Specifying food systems 3 FOOD SYSTEM THEORY 4 DIFFERENTIATING FOOD SYSTEMS Part III Theoretical and empirical applications 5 THE UK SUGAR SYSTEM 6 SUGAR OR SWEET 7 THE POVERTY OF FOOD ECONOMETRICS Part IV What we eat and why 8 FOOD NORMS: METHODS AND DATA 9 CHILDREN, LOW INCOME AND THE SAUSAGE SYNDROME 10 THE MEAT SYSTEM 11 FOOD AND CLASS 12 THE DAIRY SYSTEM Part V Whither food studies? 13 SUMMING UP AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

'... should be read widely... offers a fresh perspective with which to analyze issues that have troubled Marxists for many years...' - Capital & Class