363. The End of Food by Paul Roberts

 

BOOK REVIEW: The End of Food by Paul Roberts

Food security is a highly debated issue, more so in Asian countries where supply exceeds demand. Transgenic foods, rotational farming and subsidies are just some of the numerous methods that conglomerates and government are coming up with to solve this issue. But at what cost is food being harmed in the process? Is it economically viable in the first place?

Salmonella-tainted peanuts, riots and skyrocketing prices are only the latest in a series of food-related crises that have illuminated the failures of the modern food system. In this book, the author investigates this system and presents a startling truth - how we make, market and transport our food 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 forever changed our relationship with food and ultimately left a vulnerable and paradoxical system in place.

High-volume factories create new risks for food-borne illness; high-yield crops generate grain, produce and meat of declining nutritional quality; and while nearly a  billion people are overweight, roughly as many people are starving.

In this vivid narrative, the author presents a clear, stark vision of the future and points out the difficult decisions that must be made if we are to survive the demise of food production as we know it. 

I've been reading a lot of books on the future of food recently and what I've read seems bleak in the near future. Food insecurity and the methods food is being produced today seems scarier than ever. A highly recommended book for those who are interested on what the human food chain actually looks like.