5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The aim of this session is to reflect on the new forms of hunger that gained global visibility at the end of the 20th century and still persist. These transformations encompass both the composition of food and the social relationships that shape humanity's daily meals. It is a systemic problem because more calories are generated than necessary but hunger is still present. It is necessary to focus on the technologies implemented because they lead to a concentration of calorie production that does not allow to increase its availability, generating social exclusion.

Access to nutrients and the sovereignty to decide what to eat become the main challenges for a sociology of food that aims to generate reflections and analytical tools, ultimately making food a factor of social inclusion. This session seeks to discuss case studies—local, regional, or global—and theoretical perspectives that address hunger as a social problem incorporating technological aspects. Humanity's ability to intervene in life during the Anthropocene challenges traditional definitions of hunger linked to scarcity. New forms of social inequality, including access to nutrients, will require innovative approaches to framing the social problem of hunger and implementing practices (food, public policies, indicators) accordingly.