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

by Kevin Morgan (Author)

Exploring the food we serve in schools, hospitals and prisons, this book argues that public food provision offers a microcosm of society at large. It highlights how public institutions are harnessing the power of purchase to secure public health.

Back Jacket

A revealing account of what we feed our citizens in schools, hospitals and prisons.

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.

Author Biography

Kevin Morgan is Professor of Governance and Development at Cardiff University. He has worked with the European Commission, the OECD and urban and regional governments throughout Europe on place-based innovation strategies.