A Book that Rocked Our World

Last Updated (Friday, 15 January 2010 09:41) Written by SuenMike Thursday, 14 January 2010 14:33

It all started with Kate Knowler.  I start a lot of my conversations with that sentence these days.

She gave a lecture on nutrition at our last SLUG talk of the year.   (SLUG stands for South London Urban Gardeners, a non-profit horticultural organisation).

At the very end, someone asked what books she recommended and she responded with two books on nutrition and a book called "Not on the Label" by Felicity Lawrence. 

Don't you love finding a book that completely transforms your life?  Well, this one did it for us.  We were completely floored.

Basically, Lawrence's book is an expose on Britain's food industry, and lays bear for all to see how much our various foods are being manipulated to last longer, look better, ship easier and seem tastier.  It goes through different categories: chicken, bread, salad, coffee, etc. and talks about how the industries are manipulating each product and also the labour involved, i.e. the human cost associated with each of these foods.

Ms Lawrence, a food journalist from the Guardian, also talks about the advent of the modern-day supermarket in Britain and how powerful they've become.  They are making it impossible for farmers in this country to survive.  Be suspicious of any sales (particularly of vegetables) - it's the farmers who feel the pain when anything goes on sale.

She also highlights petrol costs and talks about how close the country become to being hungry when a petrol crisis hit in 2002.  Because big food lorries are transporting the nation's food supply, we become vulnerable to the ups and downs of the petrol market. 

This is a must-read book.