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Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis
by
Christopher Cook (Goodreads Author)
A timely indictment of industrial agriculture's threat to the future of food, health, and the environment.
If we are what we eat, then, as Christopher D. Cook contends in this powerful look at the food industry, we are not in good shape. The facts speak for themselves: more than 75 million Americans suffered from food poisoning last year, and 5,000 of them died; 67 percent...more
If we are what we eat, then, as Christopher D. Cook contends in this powerful look at the food industry, we are not in good shape. The facts speak for themselves: more than 75 million Americans suffered from food poisoning last year, and 5,000 of them died; 67 percent...more
Paperback, 326 pages
Published
May 29th 2006
by New Press, The
(first published November 30th 2004)
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Acting as adequate counterpoints, Barry Glassner's "The Gospel of Food" and Christopher Cook's "Diet for a Dead Planet" provide an interesting contrast on agribusiness.
Cook's "Diet" is almost universally a polemic: despite this, his book is most fascinating during part II, tracing the roots of the conversion from agrarianism pre 1800's, and proceeds to modern corporate monoculture agribusiness of today. Rather than opening with this story and presenting a coherent explanation for "the way things...more
Cook's "Diet" is almost universally a polemic: despite this, his book is most fascinating during part II, tracing the roots of the conversion from agrarianism pre 1800's, and proceeds to modern corporate monoculture agribusiness of today. Rather than opening with this story and presenting a coherent explanation for "the way things...more
The author does such a good job of showing what utter rats agribusiness/chain grocery stores/pesticide companies are I have to give this a five star rating. Environmental damage, exploitive labor practices, factory farms, unhealthy and at times out and out toxic food supply, destruction of the family farms, the FDA/USDA being there more to see to it that big food gets what they want instead of protecting the public. All of this is covered in Diet for a Dead Planet. Even the farm subsidies, which...more
Apr 01, 2009
It's A Hero
added it
You should know where your food comes from and the true cost of getting it to you.
The author give us a glimpse into the ire strait our food system is in an how the corporate food industry is to blame. A riveting an disturbing view of how our most basic necessity-food has become big business which has lead to all sorts of environmental social and economical problems that must be dealt with. Cook brings a fresh approach to how and what we should eat. The book put an emphasis on healthy (physically an environmentally) sustainably produced food.Cook argues that what we don't know...more
I only gave it a low rating because it bored me a little. It's my own fault; I've read similar books before and so it seemed a little preaching-to-the-choir for me. But it is very in depth, well-researched, and a pretty easy read if you're into the subject matter. This isn't a vegetarian propaganda book, either, it goes beyond animal ethics to problems with grocery stores, food distribution, and health issues. It's basically a good source of information for the average person who isn't aware of...more
Oct 27, 2008
Ethicurean Reads
added it
Going beyond fast food and GMOs to explain why our entire food system is in crisis, Cook tells how corporate control of farms and supermarkets, unsustainable drives to increase agribusiness profits, misplaced subsidies for exports, and anemic regulation have all combined to produce a grim harvest. Cook argues cogently for a whole new way of looking at what we eat — one that places healthy, sustainably produced food at the top of the menu for political change.
Started at 5 stars, but going downhill quickly. The first section of this book was interesting- talking about how tainted meat is in the food supply. Now, I feel like I'm reading "The History of Farming in America: How Farming is Intertwined with Economics and Politics". My husband says to skip the section, but I figure, it's probably good for me, and it certainly helps me get to sleep at night! I guess this book is probably above my reading level...
This book was written in the early part of this decade, so a lot of their supporting material is from the 80s, 90s, and the early 2000s. I found the information about the history of agriculture interesting as well as the information pertaining to the way animal processing workers are treated and recruited. The section on how greedy chain grocery stores/retail giants are is eye opening.
Really, the whole book is eye opening!
Really, the whole book is eye opening!
Couldn't finish this one, but luckily, no one from book club cared about that, or finished it either. I think that he's got some good things to say, but it really felt to me like I reading an opinionated thesis. Also, saying that something has "anecdotal evidence" is not the same as saying that it is true.
Jan 29, 2008
Monica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who care about how what they eat affects the world at large
Shelves:
nonfiction
This book is a very disturbing and informative and dry read about what's wrong with the way our country produces its food and the impact that has on the environment, the labor market, our health and the world wide economy and international famine. You'll never look at a grocery store the same way again.
This book thoroughly depressed me. The greed of corporate America, what we do to other countries. IT is horrible. How we are damaging our bodies with GMO food. Global warming. IT makes the Mayan end of the world look like a good thing.
author paints the all too true & disturbing picture of the way it works in the corporate food chain, and what alternatives one can seek out.
If you want to know how the food industry works and what you can do about it - read this book!
So far extremely interesting. Make you think twice about the choices all of us are making.
An amazingly informative book. Highly recommended.
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