From what I’ve read though, people are definitely eating out more often than when I was growing up. There has been some resistance to fast-food joints (by farmers and right-wing people) but not enough to make an impact. I’ve also read that obesity is on the rise in India, and that’s a good indicator that healthy eating habits are somewhat on the decline…

But yes, it’s difficult to say what the complete picture is. I’m sure there are pockets of resistance similar to Slow Food movement, and I’ve also seen Navdanya starting to promote healthier and organic foods. So there’s hope.

I think I need to check this book out! Michael Pollan also talks about that in The Omnivore’s Dilemma– the idea that cheap food simply externalizes its costs onto society. In other words, a loaf of bread from Wal-Mart might be cheaper than one from a local bakery, but you pay for it with your health, the deterioration of your environment, the depression of wages and the Wal-Martization of your town, etc.

Of course, the problem is that local/organic foods whose true cost is reflected in their retail pricing are out of the reach of most working people. Joe and I sacrifice other things to buy good food because it’s important to us, but there have been plenty of times when that hasn’t been an option for us. Regressive pricing is just going to penalize the people who can least afford it. Which is why I’d like to see an end to the system of corporate subsidies! But I don’t think we’ll ever see corporations forced to reckon with the true costs of their actions within a capitalist society…

Interesting point about Indian food culture. But does the availability of mass-produced junk food mean necessarily mean that people lose their food culture? Italy, for example, has access to all of the processed junk food it wants. But it’s also the birthplace of the Slow Food concept. People there have organized on a grassroots level to hold onto their food traditions, and have done so quite successfully.

I would really, really love to investigate this question in person in Italy and India… *sigh* Anybody giving out grants for that?

I think that the way economic theories and models work today will need to undergo some modification by internalizing the currently externalized costs, that we as tax-payers end up paying. I haven’t studied economics, so don’t know how feasible this is, or how it’ll happen, but it seems to make sense. Something along the lines of The Ecology of Commerce (Paul Hawken) – I call it green economics.

When I came to the US, finding out about the food here was shocking!! The (lack of) knowledge and relationship with food was in sharp contrast to India. Of course this was more than 10 years ago, and now Lays potato chips are ubiquitous in small shops in villages.

The real questions are (1) can these reforms be implemented under the current system, and (2) if not, what needs to happen to win even moderate reforms. It’s really interesting to see scientists and food professionals who are not socialists or activists start to draw radical conclusions based on their experiences within their industries.

I really find the her illustration of the contradictory goals of the FDA really powerful. The conflict between profit and the well being of most people is a thread that runs though our society but it is so stark and scandalous when we talk about food.

I also second the motion to shop the review around. I think it would be published.

If you haven’t already, you should check out her blog, What to Eat: http://whattoeatbook.com/