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The End of Food Audiobook
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(3.01) - 789 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The frightening truth about the modern food system.
The bestselling author of The End of Oil turns his attention to food and finds that the system we've entrusted with meeting one of our most basic needs is dramatically failing us. With his trademark comprehensive global approach, Paul Roberts investigates the startling truth about the modern food system: the way we make food, market and consume it, and even think about it is no longer compatible or safe for the billions of consumers the system was built to serve. The emergence of large-scale and efficient food production changed forever our relationship with food and ultimately left a vulnerable and paradoxical system in place. Over 1.1 billion people worldwide are "over-nourished," according to the World Health Organization, and are at risk of obesity-related illness, while roughly as many people are starving. Meanwhile the natural systems all food is dependent upon have been irreparably damaged by chemicals and destructive farming techniques; the pressures of low-cost food production court contamination and disease; and big food consumers, such as China and India, are already planning for tightened global food supplies, making it clear that the era of superabundance is behind us.
Vivid descriptions, lucid explanations, and fresh thinking make The End of Food uniquely able to offer a new, accessible way to understand the vulnerable miracle of the modern food economy. Roberts presents clear, stark visions of the future and helps us prepare to make the decisions—personal and global—we must make to survive the demise of food production as we know it.
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"Very similar to Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, Roberts is very heavy on the facts. This book is over 300 pages of hard to digest facts which point out the obvious flaws in the food industry. By having so many facts in his book there is a blatant disregard for the reader. He doesn't take into account that there are over three hundred pages and through out them he berates the food industry for all of its flaws. An industry that is under the weight of a nation that is at three hundred million and growing. They are at a crossroads between needing to make the most profit possible and producing enough food to feed all the people who live here. Roberts does do an excellent job of pointing out the weak points where the major companies do take liberties with their products and because of that millions of lives are put at risk. He does what he sets out to do, which is point out the flaws in the corporate giants who run the food industry and explain how our current consumption will outweigh the supply of food in a matter of years. The biggest flaw i find in his book is that it is all about the facts and what is going to happen, no alternatives are suggested. He does what the movie Food Inc does, it shows you the bad and the good, and they leaves the end result up to you by saying and making you want to buy home grown organic products. They leave change to the readers, i think it is a noble cause and a very strongly written book, but i feel that he didn't do all he could, he told us about the end of food, but thats it. Still left me feeling hungry."
— Samj (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Clear-eyed, comprehensive, and compelling. Paul Roberts has gone everywhere, read everything, and returned with the best analysis of global food economy you are likely to find.”
— Michael Pollan, New York Times bestselling author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto -
Clear-eyed, comprehensive, and compelling. Paul Roberts has gone everywhere, read everything, and returned with the best analysis of global food economy you are likely to find.
— Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto -
“William Dufris…is adept at delivering the mix of seriousness and astonishment clearly intended by Roberts.”
— AudioFile -
“Spellbinding…Paul Roberts…helps provide a reasonable and powerful map of how we got ourselves into this fix, and how we might yet get ourselves out.”
— Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature -
“A revealing, deeply dismaying overview of how the world’s food is produced and marketed.”
— Kirkus Reviews
The End of Food Listener Reviews
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" very alarmist writing that doesn't compensate with new information. doesn't explain why there is a plateau in the 60's/70's and then a spike in the 80's. just generally didn't find it readable past a few chapters. "
— Helene, 1/24/2014 -
" This is another indictment of CAPO meat assembly lines, processed food, and the unsustainability of current or "green"/"organic" methods. From reading Pollan, etc. I am used to this depressing stateof affairs. What I like about Roberts is the focus on the economic angle (people have to go from the expectation of cheap food to a historical hefty part of the house budget) and especially the cultural angle. What have we lost in the togetherness of lnegthy, communal food preparation and dining times? "
— Tom, 12/19/2013 -
" A really great and thorough history of our food system that should be required reading. I read the whole thing shaking my head with my mouth hanging wide open. "
— Michele, 11/4/2013 -
" This is a scary look at the current and future consequences of modern food production and the global market. The footnotes take up fourty pages in themselves. This author has read and digested and documented everythign there is out there on the current statistics, problems, and trends in food production. He discusses disease, land overuse, global trade, food production methods and dangers, genetic engineering, marketing that promotes over-processing of foodstuffs, and just about every other aspect you can think of. Unlike Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, he doesn't provide any answers or levity - jsut grim awareness of the plight. If you want to read a book that doesn't pull its punches and will get you buy local, buy organic, cook simply, and stop eating processed foods, this will do it - if you can keep reading ot the end. It is so dense I read it in ten minute a day bursts. "
— Holly, 11/3/2013 -
" Interesting, but a bit "boggy" in parts due to the overwhelming citing of statistics. Makes a reader think about the delicacy of our food supply. We should not take it for granted. "
— Mary, 10/6/2013 -
" Upsetting! "
— Inez, 8/16/2013 -
" It's just frightening what American's eat and how our food culture is being spread around the world. "
— Marcus, 6/21/2013 -
" Every human on the planet should read this book, and Savor by Thich Nhat Hanh. These two books, if read and comprehended by every person, would change our world. Really. They should be required reading for a healthier planet...heck...just so we HAVE a planet! "
— Mondo, 6/17/2013 -
" Very dry...I actually didn't finish it. "
— Amy, 11/30/2012 -
" only took me since january to finish this book. damn grad school! "
— Nicole, 6/21/2012 -
" Brilliantly composed, this is factual history of the food industry leading to a poignant theory for a future revolution in food science and consumption. a must read if you plan on feeding your mouth regardless of what side you're on! "
— Ren, 3/12/2012 -
" Good, not great. There is a lot of great info here but I found the constant barrage of facts a little tiring. "
— Taffnerd, 11/22/2011 -
" Informative without being too polemic. So info dense though that much of it is unlikely to stick in the brain. "
— Matt, 5/27/2011 -
" only took me since january to finish this book. damn grad school! "
— Nicole, 4/24/2011 -
" By the time I finished the book my stomach shrank. Thank goodness. "
— munling, 2/15/2011 -
" This is disturbing on so many levels! It's very well researched and very well written and makes me want to start my own farm. Certainly a must read for anyone who shops at a grocery store or eats out--which is pretty much everyone. "
— Bonnie, 11/16/2010 -
" Inspired the paper which inspired my new major and interest in sustainable development/food production. "
— Katie, 11/14/2010 -
" If you like Michael Pollan, you will like this book. "
— Linda, 8/31/2010 -
" very alarmist writing that doesn't compensate with new information. doesn't explain why there is a plateau in the 60's/70's and then a spike in the 80's. just generally didn't find it readable past a few chapters. "
— Helene, 7/23/2010 -
" A really fascinating book that explained our food culture from prehistoric to modern times, and why things are the way they are. "
— Mary, 1/16/2010 -
" I'll paraphrase someone else's review I read somewhere: good info, book needs an editor. "
— Arne, 1/4/2010 -
" Very provocative, but tediously wordy. I'm never eating fast food or packaged food again! (Until I do, of course.) "
— Barb, 12/28/2009 -
" Good information. A bit dry at times, but still worth the time. Really made me think about what I am eating! "
— Teddy, 12/21/2009
About Paul Roberts
Paul Roberts is the author of The End of Oil, which was a 2005 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award Finalist. He is a regular contributor to Harper’s, for which he has written about the food, energy, timber, and auto industries, as well as the destruction of the Florida Everglades. A long-time observer of both business and environmental issues, he is an expert on the complex interplay of economics, technology, and the natural world. He resides in Leavenworth, Washington.
About William Dufris
William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.