Reviews

Stuffed And Starved: Markets, Power And The Hidden Battle For The World Food System by Raj Patel

pqtrick's review against another edition

4.0

A dense (yet comprehensive) read about the hidden mechanisms that operate and control our global food network. Be prepared for a shock as Raj Patel intelligently deconstructs everything you think you know about food.

mmmchelle's review

5.0

After reading this book, you'll never want to eat anything but local food. Patel's examination of the world's food system touches on every continent from efforts by biotechnology companies to patent plants in India to the impact of NAFTA on corn farmers in Mexico.

Although the book is at times a bit depressing, Patel also highlights local efforts to gain control over how food is produced. Definitely worth reading.

juliechristinejohnson's review

4.0

A well-crafted, intelligent, and utterly relevant treatise on the food distribution monopoly held tightly by a handful of corporations. There is a sense of urgency and anger in Patel's writing- particularly when presenting farmer suicides, the travesty of India's Green Revolution and the slavish devotion to soy, but he is not a propagandist. Instead, he presents a rationale view of the politics of food, shopping, eating trends by examining the history of crop development and distribution and how it has shaped current government policy and corporate practice. It is not a book without hope, as he highlights worker and social movements aimed to release corporate stranglehold on the world food system. And he offers solutions we can all put into practice, the small steps to taking back control of our food systems and becoming more conscientious and involved consumers.