True cost accounting for food : balancing the scale / edited by Barbara Gemmill-Herren, Lauren E. Baker and Paula A. Daniels.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gemmill-Herren, Barbara, editor.

Baker, Lauren E., editor.

Daniels, Paula A., editor.

Series:

Routledge studies in food, society and environment

Routledge studies in food, society and the environment

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cost accounting.

Food prices.

Food prices--Law and legislation.

Physical Description:

xxxv, 278 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021.

Summary:

"This book explains how True Cost Accounting is an effective tool we can use to address the pervasive imbalance in our food system. Calls are coming from all quarters that the food system is broken and needs a radical transformation. A system that feeds many yet continues to create both extreme hunger and diet-related diseases, and one which has significant environmental impacts, is not serving the world adequately. This volume argues that True Cost Accounting in our food system can create a framework for a systemic shift. What sounds on the surface like a practice relegated to accountants is ultimately a call for a new lens on the valuation of food and a new relationship with the food we eat, starting with the reform of a system out of balance. From the true cost of corn, rice and water, to incentives for soil health, the chapters economically compare conventional and regenerative, more equitable farming practices in and food system structures, including taking an unflinching look at the true cost of cheap labour. Overall, this volume points towards the potential for our food system to be more human-centred than profit-centred and one that has a more respectful relationship to the planet. It sets forth a path forward based on True Cost Accounting for food. This path seeks to fix our current food metrics, in policy and in practice, by applying a holistic lens that evaluates the actual costs and benefits of different food systems, and the impacts and dependencies between natural systems, human systems, agriculture and food systems. This volume is essential reading for professionals and policymakers involved in developing and reforming the food system, as well as students and scholars working on food policy, food systems and sustainability"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: SECTION 1 The Power and Potential of True Cost Accounting

1. From Practice to Policy: New Metrics for the 21st Century / Carl Obst

2. Cotton in Egypt: Assisting Decision-Makers to Understand Costs and Benefits / Nadine Greiss

3. Upstream, Downstream: Accounting for the Environmental and Social Value of Water in the Andes / Margaret Stern

SECTION 2 Thinking Systemically

4. Methods and Frameworks: The Tools to Assess Externalities / Vatsal Patel

5. Health Impacts: The Hidden Costs of Industrial Food Systems / Nick Jacobs

SECTION 3 From the Field

6. Harmonizing the Measurement of On-Farm Impacts / Adele Jones

7. Incentives to Change: The Experience of the Organic Sector / Federica Varini

8. Transforming the Maize Treadmill: Understanding Social, Economic, and Ecological Impacts / Gyde Wollesen

9. Fostering Healthy Soils in California: Farmer Motivations and Barriers / Alastair Iles

SECTION 4 For the Public Good

10. The Real Cost of Unhealthy Diets / Ricardo Salvador

11. True Cost Principles in Public Policy: How Schools and Local Government Bring Value to Procurement / Paula A. Daniels

12. Embedding TCA Within US Regulatory Decision-Making / Kathleen A. Merrigan

13. International Policy Opportunities for True Cost Accounting in Food and Agriculture / Alexander Muller

SECTION 5 Through the Value Chain

14. The Business of TCA: Assessing Risks and Dependencies Along the Supply Chain / Arno Scheepens

15. Investing in the True Value of Sustainable Food Systems / Rex Raimond

SECTION 6 TO THE TABLE

16. Trade-Offs: Comparing Meat and the Alternatives / Kathleen A. Merrigan

17. Dining Out: The True Cost of Poor Wages / Julia Sebastian

18. True Price Store: Guiding Consumers / Adrian De Croot Ruiz.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: True cost accounting for food

ISBN:

9780367506858

0367506858

9780367506896

0367506890

OCLC:

1225622663