The Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where and Why, Second Edition (Earthscan Atlas) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Tim Lang (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Concerns about both the environment and globalization have prompted an interest in how food is produced, processed, packaged, and transported, as well as how it is prepared and eaten. In its revised edition, this small atlas examines “every link in the food chain.” Forty maps are arranged into sections covering “Contemporary Challenges,” “Farming,” “Trade,” and “Processing, Retailing, and Consumption.” Each map is presented on a two-page spread with accompanying text and graphics. Among the specific topics that are addressed are distribution, mechanization, genetic modification, and marketing. Distilling a great deal of information into an attractive package, the atlas offers a good introduction to the global food system. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"* 'This Atlas is a generous gift to the world community of people who care about food in any of its dimensions. We owe it a great round of applause' Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics * 'An extraordinarily clear basis for understanding the underlying issues, this vital study clearly shows how threatened the security of the food supply chain has become in a globally interconnected world' Ecologist * 'A remarkable book that reveals with devastating clarity the bizarre way the world feeds itself' The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4 * 'Impressive and far-ranging... extremely useful' Financial Times * 'A unique and easily accessible insight into the way our world food system works. This splendid presentation of deeply worrying data and trends should be a wake-up call' Times Higher Education Supplement"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Earthscan Publications; 2 edition (October 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844074994
• ISBN-13: 978-1844074990
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,291,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely useful compendium to think deeper about food, June 2, 2006

By	Jozef Goossens "jo" (Bierbeek, Belgium) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where and Why (Earthscan Atlas Series) (Paperback)

Erik and Tim succeed in neatly presenting the extremely complex environment of the food supply chain as well as the substantial misconceptions that society has about food, its entire production and consumption chain as well as its consequences. For anyone even slightly motivated to reconsider his food choices and dietary behaviour, this book gives a wealth of arguments for tackling things differently. This atlas should be compulsory study in every education. Moreover its concept and design has strong educational potential.
I may fancy maps and atlases more than the average person, but the sheer pleasure of discovering so many insights in a such a simple way will surely work for most readers. The visuals used fit this type of information extremely well with and they make the key learnings from this atlas quite obvious for anyone.
As a compact database, the atlas is equally useful for the professional who needs to get a first view on some other aspects of this complex area where he may have less expertise.
If more people would have only a superficial understanding of some of the issues and causal interrelationships that figure in this book, it would already make a significant difference for the way our societies would value and use natural resources . This book is therefore very recommendable and useful reading and will definitely change the way you look at food and your daily consumption patterns.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the Future of World Power by Mapping Our Daily Bread, October 8, 2008

By	David Crumm "Editor of www.ReadTheSpirit.com" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where, and Why (Paperback)

Even though most world leaders are focused on our global energy crisis now, two British scholars are prophetically giving us this newly revised "Atlas of Food." It's a terrific resource for teachers, preachers, small-group leaders, students and pretty much anyone who wants to understand an even more important global crisis: feeding humanity.

It's no surprise that the words "our daily bread" represent one of the world's most common prayers. The creators of this information-packed atlas argue that -- sooner or later -- we're all going to discover that the real struggle for global dominance involves food and water.

In the introduction, Erik Millstone and Tim Lang tell us that global power already is moving into the hands of food traders, retailers and land-owners who control the production and distribution of the stuff that our neighbors truly must have to survive: food. The authors write: "The irony is that enough food is produced on this planet to feed everyone adequately -- IF it were to be shared uniformly. But, some over-eat while others are malnourished."

This book is not specifically religious and the reviews I write for Amazon are recommendations of important books and films specifically related to spirituality. So let me clarify, in this case: While the atlas is not specifically religious, it deals with profoundly spiritual issues.

In this book, you'll discover a host of new insights into the imbalance of food around the world. Pick up a copy for yourself or for small-group study. If you tackle it with a group, this volume will raise enough questions to keep your group buzzing along for weeks.