The Changing Geography of World Food Consumption in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

r NHE 1)ISCUSSION ()} t()01) consumption during the last half century has been domi_ _ nated by world food supplies and population growth, and the extent of undernutrition in the developing countries (FAO, 1996a). Much has also been written on changing patterns of food consumption in the developed world (Blandford, 1984; Anon, 1988), whilst there is a large literature on nutrition and health in industrial countries (Committee on Medical Aspects, 1989; 1994). But there has been little study of the geography of food consumption. This essay traces the changing pattern of consumption since 1961-2 at both the world and regional level.