Customer Reviews

Food, Inc. : Mendel to Monsanto--The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest

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One of the hardest contemporary stories to cover is genetically modified food. It is tangled with pure science, technology, industrialization, profiteering, and world politics. In the past ten years, there have been loud boasts and loud denunciations about GM crops. Those who invent and stand to profit from new herbicide-resistant, insect-resistant, salt-resistant, nutrient-added species have promised that farmers, starving third-world children, and the environment will all be benefited. On the other side are those equally insistent that "Frankenfood" promises nothing but superweeds, distorted genomes for traditional crops, allergies, decimation of fauna, and benefit to no one but giant corporations. Peter Pringle has entered this zone of contention almost like a war correspondent, and his bulletins from the front form _Food, Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto - The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest_ (Simon & Schuster). Pringle has tried not to take sides, but to report on the curiosities, colorful characters, and paradoxes of the new technology. Because of this, the volume will probably be unsatisfactory to anyone with strong feelings on one side or the other, but it is a good overall look at the controversy. Pringle insists that people are going to have to make informed decisions on these issues, and his book is a good step in that direction.

Pringle starts with the story of Ingo Potrykus, one of the researchers who invented "golden rice." Potrykus coaxed genes from daffodils (of all things) into rice so that the grains contained beta carotene, which can be converted in the body to vitamin A. Getting the vitamin to third-worlders who didn't have it was supposed to put a humanitarian face on the worrisome technology. It didn't happen because a mega-company had to be paid off, and the biotech industry was accused of various other infractions. While Pringle certainly covers the overreactions of anti-biotech forces, he has the most criticism for Monsanto and its fellow corporations. He gives many examples of how GM food has been cavalierly treated and regulated.

There is potential that GM crops might help us, but we are stumbling. Environmental activists shout whenever there is any product from GM agriculture, and the corporations have a skuzzy record of bullying Mexican bean importers and Canadian rapeseed growers for punitive royalties, as well as lying about the possible dangers of the crops. The dangers are considerable; what is going to happen, for instance, when genes to produce medicines are inserted into our grain and we get tetanus vaccine in our corn flakes? The industry has done so bad of job of safety issues that rightly or wrongly, the European Union will not import GM plants, and starving Zimbabwe has refused relief from GM corn. There is surprisingly little evidence that GM crops actually help in any way; even the financial benefits of Bt crops have been no better than marginal. The problems are not going to go away; having tinkered with the basics of plant identities, humans are unlikely to stop. _Food, Inc._ is a thoughtful and unalarmist look at the problems. GM plants have promise and hazard, and neither their promoters or detractors, nor governmental regulators, are providing sufficient service to those of us at the bottom of the food chain.

I am often frustrated by the bias nature of these books, I was very impressed by the authors work. Having a science background and working in the biotech arena, I appreciated the factual information that did not seem to promote the anit-GE view that much of the literature in the area does (like I said, a very balanced report). It is written at a level that most people will be able to understand and is very entertaining. This book is great no matter what side of the debate you stand on and I highly recomend it .

My main reservation with the book is that it really doesn't give you enough information to make up your own mind, it covers a lot of different 'events' in the history of GM but it doesn't go below the surface, beyond what you would read in a newspaper article.

For example, it talks about the work of Berkeley researchers showing contamination of Mexican crops with American GM ones, and it talks about how the critics claimed the researchers made mistakes 1st year grad students are taught not to make, and it talks about how it is the only article Nature has taken away support after publishing it. And that's it, then it moves on to another topic.

But: What was the flaw in the study? What was the defense of the authors? What have follow up studies concluded? I don't know, because it is not in the book. So what did I learn from this? That GM is a research topic that raises controversies, which is the reason I bought the book in the first place! But I did not learn about the true potential danger of contamination from GM to non-GM crops.

This is not an isolated example, most of the book (written by a journalist) is consistent with the cynical view that journalists know a bit of everything, but a lot about nothing...

I will have to read another book on GM-food to really make up my mind, not a lot of informative information here. Just a bunch of facts and anecdotes leaving out the true scientific value of them out!

Is the food supply really safe? Does our government look out for the interest of the consumer and the environment or is it in the hip pocket of the giant corporations? Being a totally non-scientific person, I had to struggle with terminology in this discussion of the pros and cons of genetically altered crops. Pringle does a reasonably good job of presenting both sides of the argument in the simplest terms possible. He also does a fine job of sprinkling in some of the history of the debate, defining who the players are and assessing the political landscape. For example, did you know that caffeine genes have been inserted into soybeans? Think of the enormous worldwide economic implications if coffee could suddenly be grown in North Dakota. What about the consequences of human beings and animals consuming genetically altered foods? And were you aware that the existence of the much beloved monarch butterfly is threatened by genetically altered crops? These are the kinds of topics explored here. It is the kind of book that makes you want to learn more about these very important issues. Recommended.

I second those people who found this book to be a bit TOO concise. In failing to offer important details about issues like Dr. Pusztai's experiments, or the L-triptophan contamination (in this case, the author even gives out the wrong information that more than one brand was involved), the book may be at times misleading.
On the other hand, it is fairly unbiased. But in the sense that it shows how both sides on this issue have gone a little overboard in their efforts, by exaggerating their claims.
Anyway, it's worth reading if you have some previous knowledge about the issue and want to refresh your mind on the most relevant events.

Peter Pringle has written a book that covers the debate over GMOs as thoroughly as any could. Food, Inc., looks at all sides of a very complex sociopolitical issue and provides an amazing platform for further examination of the subject--sort of a GMOs 101. For anyone who doesn't know much of anything on the subject and has an interest, you MUST read this book!!

I recommend it highly to anyone interested in reading about biotechnology and the food we eat

This book and the movie that goes with it are awesome. Everyone should be growing and eating their own food to the extent possible to them. They should be buying from local farmers who use sustainable, chemical free methods.

I also recommend: Animal Vegetable Miracle 1ST Edition

Eath healthy and live drug [prescription medicines] free!

Mr. Pringle has written the lastest book on transgenic plants, of which about a dozen others were previously penned. He tries to take a neutral stance, but he thinks Mae Wan-Ho, Jeremy Rifkin, Vandana Shiva, Puztai are legitimate scientists, when they are not.Alan McHughen's book is far better as a neutral, objective look.
Even if he were more sympathetic to the need for transgenic plants to stave off starvation, the writing frequently doesn't go anywhere. Just when you think the chapter is heading somewhere, e..g, in the one about Monarch butterflies, he takes it back at the end. Several chapters are this way, seemingly building to an alarmist conclusion, then suddenly its, "Oh, well, it really didn't turn out so bad after all." Kinda disappointing, especially for over $20.