Food, Environmental Degradation and Injustices

What if the global trade in key food commodities suddenly ceased?

This book takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through the environmental, ethical, and social justice issues embedded in our food systems. From meat and seafood to staple crops like tomatoes, potatoes, palm oil, and soya, it explores how industrial agriculture and aquaculture drive deforestation, biodiversity loss, labour exploitation, and species injustice.

Drawing on green criminology and eco-justice principles, the book uncovers how corporations, weak regulations, and economic inequalities sustain harmful practices—often legally sanctioned but morally indefensible. Through an innovative “what-if” approach, it challenges readers to rethink the true cost of their food and the power of their choices.

This compelling book is essential reading for anyone concerned with sustainability, corporate accountability, and the future of global food production.

Simon Sneddon is Associate Professor Joint Deputy Head of Law at the University of Northampton, UK, where he has been teaching environmental law and environmental justice for 20 years.