Choice Review

Is there common ground on which chefs and food activists can grow a movement? Can labor organizations, urban farmers, and conscientious consumers strive toward shared goals? The answer is yes, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area, where alternative food networks, or "industrial districts," move toward greater food justice as they right many of the food systems' wrongs. The lively multivoiced narrative explores intersecting histories of agriculture, labor organization, environmental science, consumer activism, immigration policy, and civil rights in California and across the US from the mid-1800s to the present. The authors detail the conditions under which this innovative district emerged and thrives, underscoring its geographic and cultural specificities: in addition to protected lands and a commitment to advancing workers' rights, the "full spectrum of food system workers" is engaged in pursuit of sustainable, just, and quality food. The final chapter discusses the work of building connections and community, pitfalls to avoid (do not discount the importance of scalability), and ongoing challenges (it is a David and Goliath battle, and Goliath often wins). In this final chapter, the theoretical framework introduced in the beginning becomes a useful lens for thinking about future food districts. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. A. B. Audant CUNY Kingsborough Community College