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Reviews
Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee by Bee Wilson
kimscozyreads's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a phenomenal work up to a disappointing conclusion that ignores the number of people we have to feed today and runs on arguments the dieticians I follow have all debunked countless times. I recommend it, but with a grain of salt in the second half
stiricide's review against another edition
2.0
I actually quit this about 50 pages from the end, but being so far over the halfway mark, I'm counting it as read. Wilson strings the events of the history of food fraud together, but it's not quite an academic tome and it's not quit a jaunty non-fiction novel. All in all, while this is an informative work, reading it from cover to cover is clunky at best, and in the end, I just couldn't keep giving it my time.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting and fairly thorough book about food cheats through history. The author comes to the conclusion that this sort of thing is inevitable, though he is hopeful individuals can be educated to protect themselves at least. I tend to think information could be used more effectively here, but agree education is important too.
This book was dry at times, and a few more in-depth or recent examples might have served better than the broad overview taken. Overall a pretty good book.
This book was dry at times, and a few more in-depth or recent examples might have served better than the broad overview taken. Overall a pretty good book.
imsophiedavies's review against another edition
1.0
I found Swindled to be far less exciting than I expected. Wilson pays particular attention to nineteenth- and twentieth-century America and England and personally, I would have found a more in-depth analysis of how that era impacted our current generation. Wilson reveals how food swindlers have cheapened, falsified, and poisoned our food throughout history. Swindled details how people and corporations have placed profits above the health of its consumers by tampering with their food and drink in horrifyingly grotesque ways. Wilson encourages the reader to become more vigilant consumers, arguing industrialization, slack politics, globalization, and professional "food swindlers" have caused not only the quality of our food to suffer but our expectations. Despite not enjoying this book as much as I expected to, I can't deny that cover, it's to die for.
janel's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Swindled is an engaging, scholarly, and ultimately sobering history of “fiddled” food. Whether due to simple ignorance or active dishonesty, market pressures or malice, adulterated food is as old as commerce and still threatens public health. Wilson’s sweeping history covers everything from lead-sweetened wine in Ancient Rome to fake baby formula in the 21st century, showing how fraudulent producers and detection methods have co-evolved over time. Wilson suggests that consumers cultivate a greater awareness of “real” foods, although increasingly sophisticated science will be necessary to identify fake or adulterated products.