Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract/Objectives

By examining the triadic interaction between governments, industry, and consumers, this analysis explores the deep-seated conflicts among power, profit, rights, and obligations across three critical dimensions: culinary culture, food safety systems, and food-and-agricultural education. Drawing on domestic and international case studies, this study interrogates the systemic failures that underpin our current reality: Why does the paradox of famine persist in an age of abundance? Why do food safety scandals recur despite rigorous regulation? And why does food-and-agricultural education face such an uphill battle and constant impasse?

Results/Contributions

From the perspective of contemporary political economy, food is no longer merely a substance for sustaining life; it has become a political vehicle where power, norms, and interests intersect. The core essence of "food politics" lies in an eternal tug-of-war between scientific objectivity and political subjectivity.

First, food safety is not a purely scientific proposition but a political choice regarding the distribution of risk. Under the intricate web of globalized supply chains, risk has become a systemic byproduct. When scientific research encounters "uncertainties"—whether regarding emerging food technologies or residue standards—policy-making inevitably teeters between the Precautionary Principle and Scientific Positivism. This process involves more than the mere establishment of technical standards; it is an exercise of sovereign power in defining the very meaning of "safety."

Furthermore, food is frequently weaponized as a lever in international politics. Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, for instance, often serve as disguised technical barriers to trade in transnational commerce. When legal registration protocols intertwine with a deficit in political trust, food safety management shifts from a matter of public health to a battlefield of geopolitical maneuvering.

Nevertheless, in this market-driven era, transparency and the consumer’s "right to know" are reshaping the foundations of governance authority. True resilience in food safety should not rely solely on bureaucratic inspections; rather, it must be built upon the alignment of transnational norms and a social contract rooted in rational public communication.

Keywords

Globalization, Food Security, Food Safety, Agri-food Education, Political Economics

Contact Information

譚偉恩
jakobs@nchu.eud.tw