food supply

Availability of food, usually for human consumption. Food supply can be studied at scales ranging from individual households to global patterns. Since the 1940s the industrial and agricultural aspects of food supply have become increasingly globalized. New farming, packaging, and distribution techniques mean that the seasonal aspect of food supply has been reduced in wealthier nations such as the USA and the UK. In some less developed countries there are often problems of food scarcity and distribution caused by climate-related crop failure.