JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Author Information
Chris Otter
Information
<p>The Department of History, The Ohio State University</p>
Research Articles
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Food Chains as Complex Systems: Distance, Scale, Emergence Abstract: During the “long” nineteenth century (1775-1914), the systems supplying Britain with food underwent dramatic and permanent transformation. First, Britain went through what is known as the “nutrition transition,” a shift to a diet rich in animal proteins, wheat, and sugar. Second, the chains supplying these foodstuffs became global in scope. This article explores some of the consequences of this dietary transition, with particular focus on the history of meat and milk. Food chains became considerably longer with the development of steam navigation, which created problems of preservation, leading to innovations in refrigeration technology. Food production became concentrated and scaled-up in processing hubs, most notably the large abattoirs constructed in Australasia and America. These longer and more complex food systems generated public health problems through the emergence of novel pathogens: salmonella, listeria, E. coli O157:H7, and prions causing variant Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease. These three phenomena—distance, scale, and emergence—allow us to make some conclusions relating to agency and topology. Key Words: Food systems; Meat; Milk; Distance; Scale; EmergenceIssue:Volume 48, lssue 9, September 2026Page: 1-16
JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
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