Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket [Paperback]

Brian Halweil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2004 | Series: The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series

Eating locally is a growing movement that is good for your health—but even better for the planet.

Everyone everywhere depends increasingly on long-distance food. Since 1961 the tonnage of food shipped between nations has grown fourfold. In the United States, food typically travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate—as much as 25 percent farther than in 1980. For some, the long-distance food system offers unparalleled choice. But it often runs roughshod over local cuisines, varieties, and agriculture, while consuming staggering amounts of fuel, generating greenhouse gases, eroding the pleasures of face-to-face interactions, and compromising food security. Fortunately, the long-distance food habit is beginning to weaken under the influence of a young, but surging, local-foods movement. From peanut-butter makers in Zimbabwe to pork producers in Germany and rooftop gardeners in Vancouver, entrepreneurial farmers, start-up food businesses, restaurants, supermarkets, and concerned consumers are propelling a revolution that can help restore rural areas, enrich poor nations, and return fresh, delicious, and wholesome food to cities.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Some people may ask, "what’s wrong with getting my food from some distant land, if the food is cheap and the system works?" The point Halweil, a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, makes throughout this book is that those prices are artificially low, and the system is actually broken. Halweil’s writing is journalistic in its reliance on interviews with farmers and activists, but the book’s abundant statistics, graphs and suggestions for action lend it the tone of a policy paper—one that is, nonetheless, impassioned and accessible. Halweil gives readers reasons for pessimism (the thousands of gallons of fossil fuel used to ship fresh greens around the world; unprecedented risks of contaminated food) and optimism (the spread of "farm shops" across Europe; the Vermont diner that’s thriving by using almost entirely local food); fortunately, his optimism usually prevails. Following each chapter is a short success story, such as that of David Cole, who jumpstarted Hawaii’s cattle-raising and crop-raising business. Halweil makes a strong argument that a system dominated by "globe-trotting food" sold in impersonal megastores is bad for the health of economies and people alike, while "eating local" and encouraging regional self-sufficiency is good for both the environment and the human race. Besides highlighting projects already underway, which will inspire and encourage farmers and activists everywhere, Halweil offers ideas for the individual consumer (such as hosting a "harvest party" at your home or in your community). Even when describing the decline of local agriculture, his tone remains upbeat. An essential read for those interested in the sustainable agriculture movement, this book may also appeal to general foodies and those who are concerned about the land and the environment.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Now it is up to the rest of us to do something with this amazing gift of a book. (Mark Ritchie, President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis )

An insightful and timely book indicating just how important food, farms and rural cultures are. (Jules Pretty, author of Agri-Culture: Reconnecting People, Land, and Nature )

A definite 'must read' for farmers, food activists and the general public. (John Jeavons, author of How to Grow More Vegetables )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393326640
• ISBN-13: 978-0393326642
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #582,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Job, Brian!, December 14, 2004

By 

Renate Haeckler "Organic Gardener" (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket (Paperback)

This book is very well done. He not only describes the problems in the American food system, but does a fantastic job of describing international problems, something that is lacking in many books published in the US. The writing is easy to understand even though it broaches some complicated issues. If there were any weaknesses, I think it's that he doesn't cover the nutritional losses of old food enough.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasures Abound..., August 24, 2005

By 

Wabi Sabi "bona-fide bibliomaniac" (rural USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket (Paperback)

This is required reading for everyone, not just farmers. It's packed with informative fact and real-life stories. A resource to aid those interested in knowing where their food originates (local is best) as well as how their food is cultivated. This book offers many suggestions to help readers find creative ways to support regional agriculture and a healthier lifestyle.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Local Food Action Plan, February 5, 2009

By 

J. Cippel (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket (Paperback)

Many Americans do not understand that their food purchases have an impact beyond their waistlines. "Eat Here" is both a wake up call for such people and a guide for all concerned citizens on how to improve the world's broken food system. It argues that changing the food system is anything but a pipedream and then sets out a clear path to that end.

In the first part of the book, author Brian Halweil clearly identifies the many failures of our current way of eating. The long distance transport of food is a major contributor to climate change. Instead of the tastiest fruits and vegetables, supermarkets stock those most amenable to shipping. Family farms are disappearing at an alarming rate, killing rural communities in the process. Water supplies and fisheries are contaminated by agribusinesses whose poor crop rotation practices ensure that much of the fertilizer they apply cannot be absorbed into the soil. The list goes on.

Halweil then lays out a cogent plan for remaking the system. The key for him is rebuilding markets for local food, and he suggests a partnership between consumers and local farmers to achieve this. The first step is for consumers to start demanding local food with their voices and their dollars. This argument, in my view, is "Eat Here's" biggest strength, for it emphasizes that consumers, who often see themselves as anonymous actors in a macroeconomic world, can be powerful agents of change. For those concerned about the money cost of food (that is, nearly everyone in these tough economic times), Halweil makes two important points. First, many local products are cheaper than their national counterpart is because local farming usually cuts out the middleman and fuel costs. Second, if consumers start demanding local products, even goods that are more expensive than their national counterpart will become cheaper as more suppliers enter the market.

Halweil then turns his attention to farmers. He argues that to ensure their viability, small farmers must start seeing themselves as entrepreneurs and seize the sizable post-harvest profits available in their food. (The most astonishing fact in the book is that for every dollar spent on bread in the U.S., farmers get 6 cents, the same amount as the company that makes the wrapper. The rest is going to firms up the distribution chain.) The money in agriculture is in what happens after a product leaves the farm, and Halweil offers suggestions to farmers on how to capture this money. In short, the answer lies beyond the farmer's market in farmer-owned facilities to process, distribute, and sell agricultural products.

"Eat Here" is a thoughtful take on a very important problem. Even those who already take their food seriously would benefit from reading it.