A thought-provoking dissection of the ways in which the production and consumption of food have become harmful to our personal, societal and environmental health.
Never before have we produced so much food for so many people all around the world. But at what cost to our health and the health of the planet? How much is Big Food responsible for the rise in chronic obesity, diabetes and heart disease? Why do we love to eat junk food so much? Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have dramatically improved crop yields but many are toxic to humans. Widespread factory farming has led to the adoption of an unhealthy meat-rich diet high in saturated fats and devastated the environment. Many of the hyperpalatable, ultra-processed foods we consume today have little or no nutritional value. This wide-ranging and exploratory volume re-evaluates what we eat and how we eat it; it questions why we choose to eat food that we know is damaging to us; and it considers how we can change our food industry and our food culture.