Food is a completely unique good, because although it is essential to every person on earth, there is no other good that is acquired and consumed in such a diverse manner. It is a multifaceted social instrument, serving to connect people across cultural boundaries while drawing lines through society, dividing people along lines of race and class. Although we have discussed the connections between certain alternative food movements and the creation of a "white" identity, I argue that the social mechanisms of eating extend beyond the production of "whiteness" and are intimately linked to the creation and perpetuation of other racial and class identities in Western society. To the extent that the way we consume and interact with food can be a representation of a cultural identity, used as representative of certain social ideologies, in this sense it is often used by the white middle class to distinguish between races and classes, drawing the boundary between those who share their “world view” and those who do not. However, what allows this distinction to exist is the unawareness of the social and racial barriers that create and reinforce differences in interactions with food. The human relationship with food is very multifaceted and complexly linked to racial and class identities. This becomes particularly evident when examining the production of “white” middle-class identity, in which food choices often serve to draw boundaries between self and “others.” Even in a situation where the middle-class consumer may feel like they are bridging cultures by consuming foods that “belong” to “others,” this view carries an inherent divide between the two. The perception of what constitutes a culture... middle of article ...... our populations are needed to address issues of social sustainability in the food system and end the exclusionary practice of building social identity through food. CitéGalvez et al. 2007. Childhood obesity and availability of neighborhood food stores in an inner-city community. Internet. April 3, 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2770899/Guthman J. 2003. Fast food/organic food: Reflexive tastes and the preparation of “yuppie chow.” Social and Cultural Geography 4:45-58.Reisch, Lucia. 2003. Sustainable food consumption: an overview of contemporary issues and policies. Internet. April 3, 2015.http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol9iss2/1207-033.reisch.htmlSlocum, Rachel. 2010. Geographies of race and food: an introduction. Internet. April 3, 2015. https://www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/Geographies-of-Race-and-Food-Intro.pdf