Post 18: Food Studies Journals

It is a challenge to create a representative list of food studies journals. I define food studies as an interdisciplinary perspective within the social sciences and humanities that forms linkages and interconnections between food-related issues. Adopting a systems perspective that benefits from the rich methodological and analytical insights provided by various disciplines, researchers in this field study the “historically specific web of social relations, processes, structures, and institutional arrangements that cover human interactions with nature and with other humans involving production, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food” (Power and Koc, 2008, p. 2). You can find more extensive discussions on this topic in my earlier Postings 14, 15, 16.

The list below seeks to identify journals that provide an interdisciplinary approach to food studies. I examined various library and journal sites and compared my findings when selecting this list. Some journals that may have food studies in their title are not included in this list as they do not fit into the definition I provided above. I included some journals that could be categorized as disciplinary journals (such as Anthropology of Food, Food Ethics, and International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food) into this list, as they welcome inter/transdisciplinary approaches. Please share your recommendations for additions to this list with me.

The cover image is from Canadian Food Studies Vol. 9 No. 2 (2022)

Agricultural History publishes articles that explore agriculture and rural life throughout history, in all geographies and among diverse populations. Articles in Agricultural History use various methodologies to illuminate the history of farming, food, agricultural science and technology, the environment, rural life, and beyond. The journal includes innovative research, timely book and film reviews, and special features that unite diverse historical approaches under agriculture-related themes.

Agriculture and Human Values is dedicated to an open and free discussion of the values that shape and the structures that underlie current and alternative visions of food and agricultural systems. This journal also addresses the impact of agricultural and food-related institutions, policies, and practices on human populations, the environment, democratic governance, and social equity

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems explores the concepts of agroecology and sustainable agriculture. It aims to address the changes that need to occur in the design and management of our food systems to balance natural resource use and environmental protection with the needs of production, economic viability, and social well-being. The main goal of this journal is to examine our current food systems from production to consumption, and the urgent need to transition to long-term sustainability.

Anthropology of Food is a peer-reviewed bilingual web journal in French and English. It aims to publish research in sociology and anthropology of food. This journal is published by a network of European academic researchers sharing intellectual interests in food studies.

Appetite is an international research journal that specializes in the cultural, social, psychological, sensory, and physiological influences on the selection and intake of foods and drinks. It covers normal and disordered eating and drinking and welcomes studies of both human and non-human animal behaviour.

The Archaeology of Food and Foodways is an International refereed journal that showcases original scholarly work on the dynamics between food and culture and food and environment. It covers shifts in foodways over time, covering periods from prehistory through the 19^th century.

British Food Journal links all sectors of this dynamic industry, staying current with emerging trends and relevant and controversial issues while informing and stimulating debate. The BFJ welcomes empirical and applied research articles, viewpoint articles, case studies, literature, and general reviews from all disciplines related to consumption, business, management, marketing, health, welfare, education, sustainability, and the environment.

Canadian Food Studies The journal’s peer-reviewed publications are as diverse and entangled as the subject of food itself, providing critical perspectives on how humans, food, and the natural and built environments construct one another. The journal represents how food serves as a point of connection among communities of thought and practice, challenging disciplinary and sectoral boundaries, and inspiring new frontiers of thinking.

CuiZine: The Journal of Canadian Food Cultures / CuiZine: revue des cultures culinaires au Canada nourishes intellectual exchanges on the subject of food in Canada from multicultural perspectives. CuiZine aims to provide an innovative academic forum for interdisciplinary discussions on the diverse culinary cultures of Canada, while also serving as a venue for dynamic, creative content on the subject. CuiZine has been silent after COVID, but Ryan Whibbs reminded me that they are back in action.

Culture & Agriculture aims to develop the study and understanding of agrarian systems from a holistic social science perspective and to connect academics and practitioners concerned with agrarian issues, agricultural development, and agricultural systems through the dissemination of scientific research, promotion of effective instruction, and encouragement of applying knowledge to public policy.

Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment publishes position papers, discussions of theoretical developments and methods of inquiry, results of empirical research, and book and film reviews from any tradition of scholarship. Central to our mission is work that explores and demonstrates the connections between cultural dimensions and the environment, ecology, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, natural resources, energy, water, food, and nutrition. We also welcome contributions on matters related to sustainability and biodiversity. Dialogue between scholars, activists, and others interested in these matters is encouraged.

Digest: A Journal of Foodways and Culture welcomes the exchange of ideas and resources among food writers, scholars, and students in various disciplinary areas of interest and practice, including teaching, museum curation, archiving, and professional culinary arts. The journal aims to promote, stimulate, and encourage the study of the cultural and social dimensions of food production, preparation, consumption, and other aspects of food use, often emphasizing its role in individual and group expression.

Ecology of Food and Nutrition publishes peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of food and nutrition: ecological, biological, and cultural. It emphasizes foods and food systems not only in their utilization to satisfy human nutritional needs but also to promote and contest social and cultural identity. Articles focus on the relationship between food and nutrition, food taboos and preferences, the ecology and political economy of food, food marketing and transportation, food and identity, agriculture and sustainability, ethnobotany, the evolution of human nutrition, and food technology.

Environment and Planning A is an interdisciplinary journal of urban and regional research. This journal encompasses a range of disciplines, including geography, economics, environmental science, political science, demography, engineering, and regional science.

Environmental History is an interdisciplinary journal that explores the changing relationships between humans and the environment over time. It combines insights from geography, anthropology, the natural sciences, science and technology studies, political ecology, and many other disciplines to inform historical scholarship.

Food, Culture & Society is an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research is an international peer-reviewed publication dedicated to exploring the complex relationships among food, culture, and society from numerous disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as in the world of food beyond the academy. Diversity and inclusion are essential to the aims and scope of FCS.

Food Ethics is a global trans- multi- and interdisciplinary, non-partisan and cross-cultural forum for academic discussions on food ethics. Thematically, the journal spans the whole value chain from producer to consumer, including important agents such as the processing industry and retailers.

Food & Foodways: Explorations in the History and Culture of Human Nourishment Refereed, interdisciplinary, and international journal devoted to publishing original scholarly articles on the history and culture of human nourishment. By reflecting on the role food plays in human relations from the perspectives of social sciences and humanities, this unique journal explores the powerful but often subtle ways in which food has shaped, and shapes, our lives socially, economically, politically, mentally, nutritionally, and morally.

Food & History is published by the European Institute for the History and Cultures of Food (IEHCA). It aims to present, promote, and discuss research that focuses on food from a historical perspective. The journal explores food and drink history through various lenses. It encompasses social, economic, religious, political, and cultural aspects of history, tackling consumption, production, provisioning, distribution, medical aspects, culinary practices, gastronomy, and restaurants.

Food Policy is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes original research and critical reviews on issues related to formulating, implementing, and analyzing policies for the food sector in developing, transition, and advanced economies.

Food Security takes a synthetic view of the science, sociology, and economics of food production, agricultural development, access to food, and nutrition. It also includes review articles, case studies, and letters to the editor. This journal examines the physical, biological, socio-economic, and political constraints that not only limit food production but also hinder people's ability to access a healthy diet.

Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal explores new possibilities for sustainable food production and human nutrition. This interdisciplinary forum integrates agricultural, environmental, nutritional, health, social, economic, and cultural perspectives, offering a platform for broad theoretical and global policy explorations and detailed examinations of specific human physiological, nutritional, and socio-cultural dynamics. The journal welcomes rigorous scholarship on how innovative forms of responsible agriculture, culturally informed practices, and institutional mechanisms address these challenges, contributing to advancing a sustainable and equitable food system.

Gastronomica is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, and international journal that publishes critical and translational studies on food. Within its pages, you will find examinations of historical trends and transformations in food and eating; analyses of the political, economic, and social dimensions of food production and consumption; research briefs on emerging issues in fields related to food research and innovation; and interviews with key figures in the world of food.

Global Food History is the preeminent peer-reviewed journal for authors who wish to write about food and drink using history as their primary disciplinary perspective. It welcomes work from scholars in other disciplines or who use interdisciplinary methods to consider the relationship between food history and food studies.

Graduate Journal of Food Studies is an interdisciplinary academic community founded in the spring of 2014. Its goals are to connect graduate students interested in food and promote their exceptional work.

Hospitality & Society is an international, multidisciplinary social sciences journal exploring the connections between hospitality and wider social and cultural processes and structures. This peer-reviewed journal aims to provide a unique publication ‘meeting point' for those communities of scholars who use hospitality as a lens of analysis and/or focus of investigation.

The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food (IJSAF) serves as the primary publication outlet for the Research Committee on Food and Agriculture (RC-40) of the International Sociological Association (ISA). It actively seeks high-quality manuscripts that present theoretically informed research on issues related to the social organization of food and agriculture.

The Journal of Agrarian Change promotes the interdisciplinary investigation of the social relations and dynamics of production, property, and power in agricultural formations and their processes of change, both historical and contemporary. Contributions are welcome from political economists, historians, anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, economists, geographers, and lawyers.

Journal of Ethnic Foods emphasizes original research that examines foods, gastronomy, and eating behaviours within specific geographical and ethnic contexts. It aims to highlight the uniqueness, diversity, and creativity of food traditions and cultures while addressing complex societal and environmental interactions.

The Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition is the premier peer-reviewed journal that examines global food, water, and climatic system issues that impact access, nutrition, human health and ecological health.

The Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition examines local, national, and international hunger and environmental nutrition issues — specifically food access, food and water security, food production and processing, food waste, climatic conditions, natural resources, and the interconnectedness to nutrition and health. It addresses the international exchange and dissemination of food and agribusiness marketing knowledge and experiences.

The Journal of Peasant Studies promotes critical thinking about social structures, institutions, actors and change processes in and about the rural world. This journal addresses issues confronting peasants, farmers, rural labourers, migrant workers, indigenous peoples, forest dwellers, pastoralists, fisherfolk and rural youth – both female and male – worldwide.

The Journal of Rural Studies discusses rural issues, including society, demography, housing, employment, transportation, services, land use, recreation, agriculture, and conservation. It focuses on areas characterized by extensive land use, featuring small-scale and diffuse settlement patterns and communities closely tied to the surrounding landscape.

The Journal of Social History publishes articles in social history from all areas and periods and has played an essential role in integrating work in Latin American, African, Asian, and Russian history with sociohistorical analysis in Western Europe and the United States. It also publishes reviews of many works of interest to Food Studies.

Petits Propos Culinaires (PPC) was founded in 1979 by Alan Davidson, editor of the Oxford Companion to Food, and his wife, Jane, also a food historian. The magazine publishes three issues per year. The articles feature contributions from food and social historians, linguists, historians of publishing, librarians, literary historians, social scientists, and non-affiliated experts on gastronomic matters.

Progress in Human Geography addresses all areas of human geography research, including philosophical, theoretical, thematic, methodological and empirical. This journal provides a forum for discussion and debate on questions, concepts, and findings that have a formative influence on human geography.

Sociologia Ruralis focuses on social science research in rural areas and related issues. This journal allows social scientists engaged in a wide variety of disciplines focusing on social, political and cultural aspects of rural development to have a forum for discussion. Topics range from farming, natural resources and food systems to rural communities, rural identities and the restructuring of rurality.