Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons - Kevin Morgan

Access to good food is the litmus test of a society's commitment to social justice and sustainable development. This book explores the 'good food revolution' in public institutions, asking what broader lessons can be learned. 

In schools, the book examines the challenge of the whole school approach, where the message of the classroom is being aligned with the offer of the dining room. In hospitals, it looks at the struggle to put nutrition on a par with medicine and shape a health service worthy of the name. And in prisons, it shows how good food can bring hope and dignity to prisoners, helping them to rehabilitate themselves.

Drawing on evidence from the UK, US and Sweden, Serving the Public highlights how public institutions are harnessing the power of purchase to secure public health, social justice and ecological integrity. The quest for good food in these institutions is an important part of the struggle to redeem the public sphere and repair the damage wrought by forty years of neoliberalism.

Reviews: 

'Serving the Public explains why public food provision is often a mess and doesn't need to be. It's full of learned stories, great people and wobbly structures on the food frontline. A gem' - Tim Lang, author of Feeding Britain

'It will inspire policymakers to do better, and it will encourage food activists, including parents, to demand more' - Olivier De Schutter, former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food

'Kevin Morgan describes the political, economic and social causes of appallingly unhealthful feeding programmes in schools, hospitals and prisons, and the human and societal consequences. His book provides compelling examples and arguments for why and how we can - and must - do better' - Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics

'The sad reality is far too many people lack access to safe, healthy food. Kevin Morgan shows how the 'good food' revolution can help us create more sustainable cities and improve the health and well-being of their residents' - Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

'A catering service that has the competence and confidence to cook from scratch is essential, because it nourishes the most vulnerable people in society and safeguards our planet at the same time. This book highlights both the challenges and the solutions, and I urge politicians to read it' - Henry Dimbleby, food campaigner and author of the National Food Strategy  

'In examining the role of food in public and civil society contexts, Kevin Morgan has highlighted how good food can improve the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people in society' - Yvonne Thomas, Chief Executive, The Clink Charity

Publishers: Manchester University Press

ISBN: 9781526180469

Pages: 296

Weight: 330g 

Dimensions: 131 x 199 x 24 mm