The Unfair, Unhealty and Outdated Food System Provision on Our Cities

A recent paper by Jane Battersby shows data in Cape Town on relations between the rise of supermarkets and raise of obesity and malnutrition in urban areas.
The South African, and wider African, food system is undergoing a rapid transformation, with an associated transformation in nutrition. Both transformations are most advanced in cities where the food system is increasingly characterized by the presence of supermarkets and fast food outlets in malls selling highly processed foods. While local government has no clear formal mandate to address the food system, the paper argues that it is playing a profound role in reshaping the food system through non-food related planning and policy decisions designed to achieve urban development objectives. The paper uses a case study of the changing food system in Cape Town, South Africa, as an entry point to examine the urban planning agenda that is inadvertently generating a food system that undermines food security. The paper therefore presents a 20-year geography of supermarket expansion in the city and a discussion on the impact of developer-led urban development in the form of the shopping mall on the food system. The paper argues that the absence of concerted food system planning has negatively impacted food and nutrition security. It concludes by suggesting new opportunities for more inclusive urban food systems planning.

What disruptions to innovative food systems can be facilitated by blockchain and cryptocurrencies? Short food supply chains, transparency on origin and food quality, ethical and fair maket practices. Please, dear steemians give me some feedback. I'm involved in an innovative tool to promote short food supply chains and direct sales from farmers to consumers, both B2B and B2C, but there are big challenges on scalling (funding and smart investors) and last mile delivery solutions.