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The frightening truth about the modern food system. The bestselling author of The End of Oil turns his attention to food and finds that the system we've entrusted with meeting one of our most basic needs is dramatically failing us. With his trademark comprehensive global approach, Paul Roberts investigates the startling truth about the modern food system: the way we make food, market and consume it, and even think about it is no longer compatible or safe for the billions of consumers the system was built to serve. The emergence of large-scale and efficient food production changed forever our relationship with food and ultimately left a vulnerable and paradoxical system in place. Over 1.1 billion people worldwide are "over-nourished," according to the World Health Organization, and are at risk of obesity-related illness, while roughly as many people are starving. Meanwhile the natural systems all food is dependent upon have been irreparably damaged by chemicals and destructive farming techniques; the pressures of low-cost food production court contamination and disease; and big food consumers, such as China and India, are already planning for tightened global food supplies, making it clear that the era of superabundance is behind us. Vivid descriptions, lucid explanations, and fresh thinking make The End of Food uniquely able to offer a new, accessible way to understand the vulnerable miracle of the modern food economy. Roberts presents clear, stark visions of the future and helps us prepare to make the decisions—personal and global—we must make to survive the demise of food production as we know it.… (more)
User reviews
This was an interesting book to read while Ireland had another food crisis, where industrial grade (read
It's a book many people need to read and ask themselves about their relationship with their food, unlike some other it doesn't offer any solutions, just questions and there were places where it just lost me in a sea of data. If I was asked to recommend a book on this topic I'd be less likely to recommend this and more likely to recommend Pollan or Blythman.
We have become so far removed from the source of food that we take it for granted. That our food supply is no more secure than it ever was. Climate change (disruption by human activity), overpopulation and environmental destruction are all adding to our food insecurity.
The End of Food is a book that has changed the way I think about food. One of the best books on a topic that is vital to all of us. Highly recommended.
Paul Roberts takes the reader on a data-rich journey towards understanding the food that sits in front of them. If you've never taken the opportunity to think about the origin of your food, the journey
It is more common than not in this date and age (especially in America) to look for the "right" quick fix. Roberts doesn't offer a single, correct solution for problems evident within in the food system. Instead, the wisdom put forth is that sustainability must be achieved in order to gain the time to address the complex problems with complex solutions.
This book is the perfect reference tool to help the eater make more well-informed, sustainable, and healthy (for person and environment) decisions.