Shop Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Buy used:
$10.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Monday, January 6 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Paradise house
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Ships direct from Amazon! Former professor’s book with underlining or writing for notes on some pages. Cover is in very good condition. Binding is tight.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Robert L. Paarlberg
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know

by Robert Paarlberg (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 151 ratings
See all formats and editions

There is a newer edition of this item:

Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
$18.95
Only 13 left in stock (more on the way).
The politics of food is changing fast. In rich countries, obesity is now a more serious problem than hunger. Consumers once satisfied with cheap and convenient food now want food that is also safe, nutritious, fresh, and grown by local farmers using fewer chemicals. Heavily subsidized and underregulated commercial farmers are facing stronger push back from environmentalists and consumer activists, and food companies are under the microscope. Meanwhile, agricultural success in Asia has spurred income growth and dietary enrichment, but agricultural failure in Africa has left one-third of all citizens undernourished - and the international markets that link these diverse regions together are subject to sudden disruption.

Food Politics carefully examines and explains the most important issues on today's global food landscape, including international food prices, famines, chronic hunger, the Malthusian race between food production and population growth, international food aid, "green revolution" farming, obesity, farm subsidies and trade, agriculture and the environment, agribusiness, supermarkets, food safety, fast food, slow food, organic food, local food, and genetically engineered food.

Politics in each of these areas has become polarized over the past decade by conflicting claims and accusations from advocates on all sides. Paarlberg's book maps this contested terrain, challenging myths and critiquing more than a few of today's fashionable beliefs about farming and food. For those ready to have their thinking about food politics informed and also challenged, this is the book to read.
Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    019538959X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195389593
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    April 7, 2010
  5. Part of series
    What Everyone Needs To Know?
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8.1 x 0.8 x 5.5 inches
  8. Print length
    240 pages
  9. See all details
Next slide of product details
Books%20with%20Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
    Robert Paarlberg
    Paperback
    $18.95
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
    Only 13 left in stock (more on the way).
Next set of slides

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
151 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They describe it as a great, quick read with good vignettes into various aspects of the subject. The book provides a balanced analysis of the topic, covering political issues and providing a perspective on the sustainability of food chains in America while considering environmental and social issues. However, opinions differ on the pacing, with some finding the prose clear and jargon-free, while others feel there are not enough sources or citations provided.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Information qualityReadabilityBalanceSustainabilityPacing
14 customers mention "Information quality"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They appreciate the author's balanced, thoughtful analysis of food and agriculture politics. The coverage is broad with concrete examples that illustrate important points effectively. Readers say the book takes a fact-based approach to social, economic, and environmental issues. Overall, they describe it as one of the best overviews of food and ag politics available.

"...The coverage is broad and many concrete examples illustrate important points effectively, culled from experiences all over the world...." Read more

"...The author does a terrific job of explaining the political issues surrounding food and agricultural policy and is able to present the perspective..." Read more

"...This book is a fabulous introduction for them to understand how food is used for more than just nutrition." Read more

"...It is informative while not being boring and not taking every claim to the extreme but rather discussing it," Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a quick, interesting read that provides good insights into various aspects of the subject.

"What a terrific book for teaching! The only complaint the students had was: 'it's too optimistic.'..." Read more

"...What the reader does get is some very good vignettes into various facets of the global food industry and food policy making which, I believe, are..." Read more

"Great,quick read. Had to read for a course, however i couldn't put the book down...." Read more

"...A wonderful read for anyone who cares about the subject and wants a fact-based resource. Get this book!" Read more

3 customers mention "Balance"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the balanced and well-thought-out analysis of the book. They find it fair and informative.

"This book is a balanced and well thought-through analysis of a topic that is most often discussed with antidotes, half-truths and political motives...." Read more

"I think this a fair and informative book." Read more

"Overall, fairly well balanced..." Read more

3 customers mention "Sustainability"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's perspective on food chains in America. They say it considers environmental and social issues, like hunger, organic food, and GMOs.

"...but which is true, and at the same time is keeping environmental and social issues fully considered. Four stars because it's a bit of a dry read." Read more

"...based positions from both sides of several issues like hunger, organically grown food, and gmo's that people coming into the discussion need as a..." Read more

"Great information and perspective on the sustainability of food chains in America, and their interactions and implications on global political..." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find the prose clear and jargon-free, except when explaining jargon. Others feel it lacks sources and is not suitable for well-informed readers.

"...Paarlberg's prose is admirably clear and jargon-free except when explaining jargon that students will encounter in political discourse...." Read more

"...This book is clearly not an academic piece of scholarly writing because no sources are given for his conclusions which rely solely on his personal..." Read more

"...- didn't read like a textbook at all, very informative and easy to read and comprehend." Read more

"Interesting read, but citations are distressingly sparse. It will take an unreasonable amount of work to fact-check because of this." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • ron herring
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a terrific book for teaching!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    What a terrific book for teaching! The only complaint the students had was: 'it's too optimistic.' So then we read The End of Food and -- you guessed it -- 'it's too pessimistic.' That's actually a good pairing: Paarberg's techno-market optimism is a good foil for doomsday scenarios so common in the media. The formatting in Paarlberg's book is user-friendly, intuitive. The Q and A format is stimulating and retains focus for each section. Paarlberg's prose is admirably clear and jargon-free except when explaining jargon that students will encounter in political discourse. The coverage is broad and many concrete examples illustrate important points effectively, culled from experiences all over the world. Food Politics is a sophisticated treatment of a very broad canvass of important issues.
    11 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Sara Hessenflow Harper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding overview of food issues and politics
    Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I have worked in the field of agricultural and environmental policy for over a decade and found Paarlberg's book to be one of the best overviews of food and ag politics out there! The author does a terrific job of explaining the political issues surrounding food and agricultural policy and is able to present the perspective of environmentalists and the ag industry alike. I know just how hard it is to try to bridge these two worlds. With books like this one, the job gets easier!
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • RB
    5.0 out of 5 stars I've bought three copies now
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a college professor and basically hand these out as gifts to my students now. This book is a fabulous introduction for them to understand how food is used for more than just nutrition.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • J. Canestrino
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Even-Handed, Fair-Minded Introduction to Food Politics
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    "This fundamental question of what an ideal farming system should look like explains a great deal of the modern politics of food and agriculture." Page 58. It is this `fundamental question' which author Robert Paarlberg tries to address in his ambitious 189 page long book "Food Politics". It is an incredibly complex topic involving many of the World's governments and many of its largest international corporations. Something that should be simple, like food aid to starving people, actually sits at the confluence of political, military and economic policy for the G8 nations. Some reviewers seem to think Professor Paarlberg's views are too liberal (he does not demonize GMO's for example), while others feel he is a corporate mouthpiece (he does not condemn government policy to increase biofuel production from corn as the reason for food price spikes in 2008).
    As a moderate employed in the agriculture industry, I am open to the ideas Professor Paarlberg puts forth and privy to some of the driving forces that really shape the decision making. And, with all due respect to Professor Paarlberg's education and extensive international experience, I gave his book four stars out of five because I think he still does not know, or does not do a good job of really explaining, the real, simple driving forces behind some of the price spikes and production decisions at the base of the food pyramid. Some examples: cabbage prices were good last year (2010) because Kentucky Fried Chicken decided to introduce a new product by offering free coupons. This led to an increase in demand for coleslaw which led to an increase in demand for cabbage since they are the largest single purchaser of cabbage in the US. When McDonald's decided to make the Angus Burgers a permanent item on their menus after the introductory test marketing, this led to an increase in demand for red onion slices (a product they did not use prior to the Angus burgers). Red onions make up a minority of the 100,000 acres of onions grown in the US annually (on average). Growers cannot respond in the middle of a 5-8 month growing cycle, they have to wait for the next planting window. But, onion seed production requires a 2-4 year production cycle, thus red onions will remain "in demand" until this lag phase passes. Very, very simple decisions.....that ripple through the market for years. Many farmers are comfortable with growing the same things they have in the past, because they have gained some agronomic expertise in those crops, because local infrastructure must be in place to pack or process the crop (for example-you cannot decide to grow sunflowers for oil one year because the market was good last year if the nearest crush plant is 1000 miles away. Even if sunflowers would grow very well on your farm the cost of shipping would cancel out all but the most spectacular of yield advantages), because they already have specialized planting and harvest equipment for a specific crop that they need to pay off. Thus, you often get this response to the question, "What are you going to plant next year?", "Little more of the same as this year (to take advantage of economies of scale and force out smaller competitors) then pray for a disaster somewhere so the market gets good."
    Given the broad range of topics Professor Paarlberg is trying to cover in 189 pages, one cannot expect an in depth science review of GMO's ("Mendel in the Kitchen" is a better choice for that), a hard hitting exposé into the food industry ("Fast Food Nation" and "Omnivore's Dilemma" have that covered), or even a dive into the deep pool of food politics in the US (Marion Neslte's version of "Food Politics" has that covered). What the reader does get is some very good vignettes into various facets of the global food industry and food policy making which, I believe, are delivered with very little bias or hyperbole.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Supergod7
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great, quick read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great,quick read. Had to read for a course, however i couldn't put the book down. It is informative while not being boring and not taking every claim to the extreme but rather discussing it,
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • thomas smith
    3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the food-ignorant, but inadequate for the well-informed
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book has some strong positive attributes. The author is highly informed and reasonable. He corrects many statistical misunderstandings.There are also serious negatives. His sources are from the status quo food complex (agricultural universities located in political zones with a skewed bias and questionable "institutes" formed by food corporations) and what is far more important, he ignores both economic anthropology and the perspective of the traditional farmer (read a superb explanation of "sensible decisions within tight constraints" in Mark Greengrass, 2014, pp. 73-5). Paarlsberg's conclusion seems to be that, internationally, the food future will be more of the same: supermarkets, processed foods, a few corporate giants. His defense of the self-regulating market in a few places is exasperating, since in England the manipulation of food prices dates at least from 1180 AD (when forestalling to raise prices artificially was prohibited by law and the law ignored). Paarlberg generally calls for more intelligent institutional intervention in food markets and who could disagree? This book will serve readers who need to acquire basic familiarity with a vast subject.
    10 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mercury
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb. Buy and read this book.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a balanced and well thought-through analysis of a topic that is most often discussed with antidotes, half-truths and political motives. A wonderful read for anyone who cares about the subject and wants a fact-based resource. Get this book!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This was an assigned book for a class at UNC - didn't read like a textbook at all, very informative and easy to read and comprehend.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • KittyMac
    5.0 out of 5 stars I wish this was forced reading for everyone!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 18, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book corrected a lot of false assumptions I had (and I thought I was someone who avoided assumptions!) and it is very readable: well written and brief. If you only want info on one topic, the chapter you want is likely just ten or twenty pages. But it's not frivolous! There's a LOT of data. I have a bad habit of underlining, and I found something mind-blowing to underline at least a couple times on every page!
    If you have a cousin who rants ignorantly about GMOs, you can likely get them to read the GE chapter since it's quite brief. Likewise if your coworker spouts crazy ideas about how to help third world starvation, they can read the chapter on that in a lunch break or two. If you see someone at yoga who's smug about how virtuous they're being by eating local &/or organic, you can show them the chapters on those topics and they should have no problem skimming through them and getting the book back to you at your next yoga class. If you want to loan it out like this, I suggest using felt pens to colour the edges of the chapters, so for instance if your friend needs to learn about the obesity epidemic, you can tell them "read the purple part"... easy as can be. Of course they might get tempted to glance at the rest of it too (it's pretty hard to put down!) but it's easier to PICK UP when the amount of "assigned reading" is not too large.
    Prejudiced people especially (but all of us to some extent) resist taking up a dry, long book to educate themselves on a topic they find offensive, which is why the brevity of these chapters is so valuable. Unlike bigger volumes, the people who need to read this ACTUALLY MIGHT READ THIS. It has a good chance of enlightening people who, like me, didn't even realise they had jumped to conclusions about food-related issues, or even people with intense biases, and is a good foundation for a healthy debate on any of the many topics it covers.
    The author is educated and thorough, but not an expert in the field. This is PERFECT. There are too many books spreading ignorance because they're written by prejudiced folks who do not really know anything on the subject but are simply "following their gut" (like those who abhor anything not "natural" without caring about what's actually best for the environment). There are also many books written by experts which get dismissed, unread, because the audience perceives it to be propaganda ("Of course you are pro-fertilizer! You are a fertilizer researcher!"). This guy is unbiased AND knows his science. He's following neither his gut nor his paycheque but his RESEARCH.
    I actually bought a second copy of this so I can loan it out and still have my own copy in case it doesn't come back.
    I LOVE this book.
    Report
  • Ashley Babics
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book if you are looking for facts presented in ...
    Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great book if you are looking for facts presented in a completely unbiased manner... no opinions here. A bit dry at times but exceedingly informative.
    Report
  • Mr. J. Prochazka
    2.0 out of 5 stars Needs to be read with author's bias in mind
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I am not convinced by the enthusiasm of some US reviewers about this book being an excellent guide in the field, since Prof. Paarlberg is strongly and openly endorsing agricultural genetic engineering companies such as Monsanto, DuPont/Pioneer (himself being ardent GM advocate and occasional adviser to Monsanto Company), cheer leading for Gate's Foundation's contribution to agriculture (Gate's Foundation however also invests into most major oil companies for a quick buck returns, which obviously contradicts their other efforts). Further there is downplaying of the effects of commodity speculations on commodity price stability or subtly lampooning food advocacy NGO's. The book should be read with these bias in mind. On top, and I think most dangerously, the book is deceptive in what it does not tell you, which are issues that did not perhaps fit with Prof. Paarlberg's views in the subject I suspect. The bottom line is that this is far from a balanced account of problems and solutions for today's developing and developed countries' agriculture.I expected far more balanced publication from Oxford University Press in respect to political economy stances. In addition the book does not include citations and referencing to support Paarlberg's arguments in either first or second edition.
    Report
  • Seung Jae Lee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great
    Report
  • gerrypopplestone
    2.0 out of 5 stars Complacent food politics
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This writer seems to think that his explanations are the "true" reasons for the food crises! The book would be more interesting if he had included opposing views now and then! And he gives some rather curious reasons to account for some of the issues. For example he believes that customers in developing countries choose to go to MacDonalds because they have toilets (Does he not realise that other places in developing countries have toilets too?). My biggest disappointment is he leaves out crucial aspects (like the WTO Agreement on Agriculture that permits the US and Europe and Japan to keep their farm subsidies) in the book and believes that only the US is a significant player. There are better books on the subject than this one. I prefer to read Waldon Bello or Ray Patel.
    Report