[Ad-gifted] Food Fight : From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillespie is a thought-provoking non-fiction book that explores one of the most important parts of everyday life: food!
Published by Canongate, the book examines how the global food system has changed over time and argues that it is now causing serious problems such as malnutrition, obesity, inequality and environmental damage. Gillespie draws on more than forty years of experience working in nutrition and food policy, which gives his arguments authority and makes the book feel well researched. Rather than simply explaining what is wrong with the food system, Gillespie also looks at how it could be changed.
One of the main ideas in Food Fight : From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet is that the food system was originally designed to produce large amounts of cheap food, but it has developed into something that can actually harm people’s health. Gillespie explains how a small number of extremely powerful food companies have gained huge influence over what people eat and how governments respond to food-related problems. He focuses particularly on the power of major corporations and the way they can influence advertising, politics and public health policies. One particularly interesting part of the book is Gillespie’s comparison between the methods used by the food industry and tactics previously associated with the tobacco industry.
What I thought of Food Fight
I thought Food Fight was an interesting and eye-opening book because it made me think differently about where food comes from and why certain foods are so easy to buy. Before reading it, it would be easy to assume that problems with food are mainly caused by individual choices. However, Gillespie shows that there are much larger forces involved, including powerful companies, governments and economic systems. I particularly liked the way he supported his arguments with research and examples because this made his points more convincing rather than simply sounding like personal opinions.
However, I sometimes found the amount of information overwhelming hence took a little longer to finish reading the book. Gillespie also covered a wide range of issues that some sections can feel quite heavy and the solutions he suggests do not always seem as large or simple as the problems he describes. Even so, I think this is an important part of the book because it made me realise that not all food that is advertised as ‘healthy’ is actually healthy!
The book also explores the connection between food and wider social issues. Gillespie discusses how hunger and obesity can exist at the same time, creating what is sometimes described as the ‘double burden of malnutrition’. He also connects the food system to climate change, poverty and inequality.
This makes the book much more than a discussion about healthy eating as it becomes an investigation into politics, economics and society. Although some of the subjects are complicated, Gillespie does generally explains them in a clear and accessible way.
Overall, I would recommend Food Fight to anyone interested in food, health or the environment. It is informative, challenging and alarming but it offers hope that change is possible if we choose to buy natural, organic ingredientand are aware of where it comes from.
Where you can get your copy of Food Fight and how much it cost?
The paperback copy of Food Fight retails for £10.85 while the Kindle edition is available for £9.59 and the hardcover for £15 from various bookstores as well as Amazon. Do check the website for the latest price as this might change.
About the Book
Publisher : Canongate Books
Print length : 368 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1837260430
Item weight : 570 g
Dimensions : 15.9x 3.2 x 24 cm
About the Author
Stuart Gillespie has been fighting to transform our dysfunctional food system for the past forty years. Stuart worked with a range of UN agencies across the world, before joining the International Food Policy Research Institute in 1999. Here he founded the Regional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security, the Transform Nutrition research consortium, a flagship Agriculture for Nutrition and Health programme and the Stories of Change initiative, amongst a host of other interventions in public food and nutrition policy. Stuart’s newsletter, Food Fight Files, tackles the political and commercial drivers of food injustice and malnutrition and what can and should be done about them.
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* We were sent a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
5 comments
I’ve watched a few different documentaries that discuss similar style topics to his book. Pardon the pun, but it’s definitely food for thought! I think with most processed food products, the aim for the brand is to keep you coming back and buying more so they’re filled with additive ingredients which often don’t fill you, leave you hungry and wanting more. It’s like a viscous cycle. We’re definitely more conscious of what we eat at home. I generally think whole foods is the way forward, whether they’re healthy, or more on the sweet side, as long as somethings not ultra processed, it’s okay.
I need to snag this one! i’ve often thought about where the food i buy comes from, and why some things are more readily available than others.
I grew up in a place where everyone has a garden, and my parents have their own little farm. I always think it’s so important ot know where your food comes from.
This sounds like such a thought provoking book. I like that it goes beyond individual food choices and looks at the bigger picture, including how companies, governments and economic systems influence what we eat. It definitely sounds like one of those books that makes you think differently about what ends up on your plate.
I see that you cover a lot of recipe books, so it’s interesting to hear about this sort of non-fiction on the history of food. What a neat idea for a book.