The public health contribution to the discursive struggles surrounding food security and food sovereignty

This commentary adopts a public health perspective to shine further light on the different bases for legitimacy in relation to food security and food sovereignty. It describes, albeit briefly, the influential role that nutrition science has long played in the understanding of food security and in advancing a socio-technical approach to address malnutrition. The commentary then turns to the more recent public health ecology field and proposes that its framing of food security resonates with Jarosz's call for greater attention to nature-society relationships. Along the way, the commentary argues that identifying food security with developmentalist forces is too simplistic, given the range of developmentalist positions currently being adopted. It also reflects on the actions of the state in relation to nutrition, and the as yet unclear relationship between governments and food sovereignty at household and community levels.