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The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter (Hardcover)

by Peter Singer (Author), Jim Mason (Author) "There is no downtown, no bustling public square, no quaint historic district in Mabelvale, Arkansas..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Mary Ann, Whole Foods (more...)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Ethicist Singer and co-author Mason (Animal Factories) document corporate deception, widespread waste and desensitization to inhumane practices in this consideration of ethical eating. The authors examine three families' grocery-buying habits and the motivations behind those choices. One woman says she's "absorbed in my life and my family...and I don't think very much about the welfare of the meat I'm eating," while a wealthier husband and wife mull the virtues of "triple certified" coffee, buying local and avoiding chocolate harvested by child slave labor, though "no one seems to be pondering that as they eat." In investigating food production conditions, the authors' first-hand experiences alternate between horror and comedy, from slaughterhouses to artificial turkey-insemination ("the hardest, fastest, dirtiest, most disgusting, worst-paid work"). This sometimes-graphic exposé is not myopic: profitability and animal welfare are given equal consideration, though the reader finishes the book agreeing with the authors' conclusion that "America's food industry seeks to keep Americans in the dark about the ethical components of their food choices." A no-holds-barred treatise on ethical consumption, this is an important read for those concerned with the long, frightening trip between farm and plate.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Less concerned with what people choose to eat per se, Singer and Mason make a case for how people's everyday food choices affect others' lives. They describe in vivid detail how applying industrial processing principles to animal husbandry has led to cheap foods whose cost savings occur at the expense of animals raised for profit and for product. Using Wal-Mart as an example, they lay out how huge retailers wield enormous power over prices and compel those far up the chain of food production and distribution to make unhelpful decisions. They hold up for admiration a Kansas family that has turned vegan so as not to participate in this particular destructive cycle of animal and human exploitation. They also thoughtfully and critically examine the ethical pros and cons of eating meat in any form. Urban dwellers far removed from the source of the foods they eat will find Singer and Mason's descriptions of food production more disturbing and violent than the quiet, attractive, plastic-wrapped displays in the local supermarket's pristine meat case. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Rodale Books; 1st edition (May 2, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 157954889X
ISBN-13: 978-1579548896
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#87 in Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Morals & Responsibility

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
There is no downtown, no bustling public square, no quaint historic district in Mabelvale, Arkansas. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Mary Ann, Whole Foods, New York, Niman Ranch, New Zealand, Chesapeake Bay, Tyson Foods, Trader Joe, White Dog, Organic Valley, San Francisco, Certified Humane, European Union, Marine Stewardship Council, Wayne Bradley, Jake Hillard, Michael Pollan, North Carolina, Oscar Mayer, Seafood Watch, Temple Grandin, United Egg Producers, Cyd Szymanski, Dean Foods

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 68 books:

The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on 4 pages
The Covenant of the Wild: Why Animals Chose Domestication by Stephen Budiansky on page 249, page 250, and Back Matter
Global Agricultural Trade and Developing Countries (World Bank Trade and Development Series) by M. Ataman Aksoy on page 153, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer on page 179, page 248, and Back Matter
Raising a Stink: The Struggle over Factory Hog Farms in Nebraska (Our Sustainable Future) by Carolyn Johnsen in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)

See all 68 books this book cites

2 books cite this book:

I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas R. Hofstadter in Back Matter
The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy - and Why They Matter by Marc Bekoff in Back Matter

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Farm Animal Welfare by Bernard E. Rollin PhD

Discusses:

Diseases of Poultry by Y. M. Saif

Discusses:

Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production by Donald D. Bell

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	5% buy In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto 4.4 out of 5 stars (272) $9.00
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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

186 of 204 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Book on the Ethics of Eating, May 3, 2006

By	Erik Marcus "Author of _Meat Market: Animals,... (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Disclosure: Peter Singer and I corresponded extensively during his writing of _The Way We Eat_, and his new book favorably references both of my books.

Right now, Michael Pollan's _The Omnivore's Dilemma_ is already well on its way to becoming the top-selling book on food politics released this decade. Peter Singer and Jim Mason's new book, _The Way We Eat_ has the profound misfortune of being released just three weeks later, and this new title finds itself the grape to Pollan's steamroller.

This chance situation is a terrible shame, since _The Way We Eat_ is the better researched and more carefully thought-through book. Both of these titles are excellent, but if you're only going to read one I'd urge you to read Singer.

For two books that trace the origins of our food, these titles have surprisingly little overlap. Read both of these books and you'll know more about food than 99 percent of Americans -- and if you grew up eating the standard American diet it's almost inconceivable that you'll continue eating in this fashion.

If you decide to read both books, be sure to read Singer first. As I've noted in my Amazon.com review of _The Omnivore's Dilemma_, Pollan makes some ill-informed arguments in favor of including animal products in the diet. The trouble is that Pollan is such a gifted writer that he ends up being highly persuasive even when he's on very thin ice with his facts. Reading _The Way We Eat_ is a wonderful way to prepare for _The Omnivore's Dilemma_ --- you'll be in a prime position to critically analyze both the strengths and weaknesses of Pollan's flawed but vitally important book.

It's a shame that I can't write a review of _The Way We Eat_ without mentioning Pollan in the same breath, because Singer and Mason's book more than stands on its own. It's marvelously researched, and has a quality of critical thinking that few food writers could even aspire to. What's more, the writing flows beautifully.

If you want to advance your knowledge of where our food comes from, and understand more about the ethical implications of different diets, there's no better place to start than by reading _The Way We Eat._

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48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting on both a philosophical & a practical level, December 27, 2006

By	H. Cunningham (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Philosophy has rarely considered the ethics of what we eat, because until very recently, we largely ate food grown on family farms and two generations ago most people were still pretty well acquainted with where their food came from. (Most grandparents or at least great grandparents have churned butter, pluicked a chicken, etc.) In today's world everything is pre-packaged and because we no longer have to think about it, we don't. The truth is we probably don't like or want to think about how the food gets to the supermarket. After all, it's tough enough to try and plan and shop for meals and then throw together something after a long day at the office. Add in trying to think about health concerns, trying to manage on a budget and hey, we have enough to worry about, right?

But it bothered me that I knew full well that if I had to kill my own food I would be a vegetarian...yet I love meat and just didn't want to give it up. So the last few years I bought organic and grass fed and cage free...and yet, I wondered, given all the articles about the meaninglessness of labels and the lack of real standards, am I paying more just to feel like maybe the animals are treated better, when in fact there is no difference? How bad have things gotten? Basically, bad enough that I feel I have to invest energy in changing my habits, or ok enough I can continue trying to focus on organics and grass fed/cage free meat and dairy, and that's enough for me?

I was hoping this book would help me answer that question. The truth is, I didn't look forward to reading it - I didn't want something preaching or someone trying throughout to get me to go vegan (great goal, don't know that I'm up for the task though). I am pleased to report that I didn't find it preachy and actually, it was quite an interesting read. There are some things I wish were covered that aren't, but I think the approach of selecting three families and looking at what they buy, then going behind the scenes and discussing the impacts of their choices, was well done.

If you enjoy philosophy and have any leanings, as I did, to consider more carefully the issue of today's diet and what you eat, I recommend this book. It can be hard to read in places. You don't want to believe how bad conditions really are in some factory animal farming - you kind of don't want to know - bit that doesn't mean you shouldn't know.

Ignorance is bliss. Reading this is not. But I would rather make informed choices and know the truth than continue to not think about the choices I make in the supermarket. If you decide to make changes, it's not that hard, as this book let's you know what to look for and questions to ask. For example, I was aware that beef needs to be not only grass fed, but ideally grass finished, but I never asked my organic beef grower about slaughter procedures used. And, I didn't know that when considering eggs I should look into not only free range free, but at are the chickens debeaked? I have a lot more information that I can use as a consumer to make smart choices after reading this book, both about vegetable and meat products. I have not had a problem going to local growers or producers and getting my questions answered, and if you want to be informed this book will help you make choices in your everyday food selections that benefit the environment and prevent creulty to animals. How far you go with it is entirely your choice. Topics covered include environmental impacts, third world country economics, worker conditions, fair trade, and animal living conditions as well as animal creulty.

It would be great if this topic were introduced in modern college ethics courses and if we all had time to learn about why our food choices do matter. This book offers something others don't along those lines and if you are an analytical or thoughtful person, or just want to know more about how what you buy in your weekly shopping trip affects the planet and the animals on it, it's worth your time.

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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A full-course meal, November 10, 2006

By	Jonathan Balcombe "author of Pleasurable King... (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Few facets of human existence affect our health and the environment as much as what we eat, and surely none has a greater impact on animals. Thus, the time seems perpetually ripe for good books on human food choices. The authors of this one, both vegetarians and probably vegans, succeed in presenting a well-reasoned and reader-friendly discussion of their subject.

The book is built around the food habits of three American families, one who subscribe to the traditional "meat and potatoes" diet, another who are conscientious semi-vegetarians, and the third who are vegans. Each serves as a base from which to examine food production and its consequences. We travel from factory farms to farmers' markets, from kitchens to ocean trawlers to dumpsters. We hear from people who work in all of these environments. And the authors provide analyses without sermonizing.

Several trends emerge. Large meat corporations talk of educating the public about modern meat production, but fail to return phone calls and flatly deny access to their meat processing facilities. We learn of "the law of gravity of big business"--with big corporations buying up organic brands then cutting corners to maximize profits. We meet farmers who move their animals from intensive indoor confinement to outdoor pasture situations. One such, a pig farmer, describes how many hassles he now avoids by letting his pigs run outside on pasture: no more tail-amputation, no antibiotics, no special weaning feed (his piglets wean naturally at 8 weeks instead of artificially at 2 weeks), and "scouring" (diarrhea) is replaced by "pasture poop" that doesn't stink (I can attest to this, as a regular visitor to a sanctuary with free-roaming pigs). And far from being an economic liability, the ensuing demand for his product has outgrown his supply.

For those who eat fish, there is news to prick the conscience--an excellent summation of recent findings demonstrating pain and cognition in fishes. To that end, I was surprised the authors chose not to include fish flesh as a form of "meat." For those who eat eggs, we learn of deluxe free-range eggs (sold at five times that of conventional battery eggs) being shipped from New Zealand to California with such efficiency that--owing to time zones--an American may be eating an omelet before the hen laid the egg. Little wonder, then, that the ingredients in some dinners have been shipped further than the distance around the Earth's circumference (24,000 miles).

That said, here's to "freegans" who remove themselves from the troubled food supply chain by living entirely off discarded food mined from supermarket dumpsters.

Wherever you are in that chain, you should read this book, and take stock of your food choices.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Really incredible information, particularly because he doesn't tell you what you might think he'll say - especially the information about eating locally. Read more

Published 10 days ago by A. Drugay

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and thought provoking
I've been checking out audiobooks from the library to make my commute time go by faster. Since I've enjoyed books like In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and What to Eat... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Boston Book Addict

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed exploration of the ethics of our food choices
The Way We Eat is an in-depth exploration into the ethics of our food choices. To illustrate their arguments, co-authors Singer and Mason use the eating habits of three families... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Gwendolyn Dawson

5.0 out of 5 stars Good
I ordered it new and it came pretty much new, except for a small mark in black marker on the top edge. Still satisfied with my purchase.

Published 4 months ago by M. Chan

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for meat eaters and vegetarians.
I bought this book a few weeks ago and really enjoyed reading it. I think it was thought-provoking. I really liked the way the authors looked at what the families purchased and... Read more

Published 14 months ago by J. Bodnar

5.0 out of 5 stars Objective and non-preachy
Throughly researched, this book provides an insightful and provocative look into the ethical/environmental concerns revolving around our meat eating culture. Read more

Published 14 months ago by LMW

5.0 out of 5 stars Only read if you care about yourself or the world around you
This book offers a very thought-provoking view into the world of food. Forget restaurant hygiene and other crazes, this book portrays the alarming state of the food industry as... Read more

Published 18 months ago by JT

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this
This is a superb book. Everyone should read this to know what they are truly consuming and how it effects our planet and its inhabitants. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Whitey

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on a broad range of subjects
I really thought this was a great book. It is well written (believe it or not it is a "page turner") and it covers a broad range of topics in an open minded and sober manner. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Deborah Kaplan

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethical Consumption
There are several books lining the shelves that contain information on animal rights, vegetarianism, and organic and fair trade food items. Read more

Published 24 months ago by CreepyT

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