Book Review: Foodprints

Book: Foodprints: The Story of What We Eat by Paula Ayer

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

The everyday choices we make when it comes to food don't just have an effect on us -- they also affect other people and the planet.

Today's teens are more attuned to what they eat and where it comes from than any generation before them. But there's still more to know. Foodprints enables readers to do more than sort through the numerous messages they hear and read about food -- they also get the big picture about food production, marketing, and its role in society. Readers will discover:

• How our food system evolved from hunter gatherers to online ordering
• How mega-farms and factories came to produce the bulk of our current food supply
• How to work through confusing nutrition advice like good and bad carbs, as well as trendy superfoods such as kale, and fad diets
• The role of science in the modern food system, from improving safety and convenience, to GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and artificial flavors
• Why food advertisers want teens' attention and how they get it
• Stories about youth who are working to shape the future of food in positive ways, such as guerilla gardening and media activism.

Photographs and amusing illustrations complement this lively exploration that decodes the surprisingly complex subject of one of our most basic needs -- the food we eat.



Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Ever wonder about the food you're eating? Maybe how it got there or what's in it? Well, Foodprints gives you quite a lot to think about, from how the multibillion dollar food industry is constantly coming up with ways to promote or create new food products to consumers increasing demand for organic food. The safety and humane treatment of farm animals was also detailed which also goes with many customers demanding for more disclosure as to what is in the meat that they are buying. 

This book covers a lot of areas including Genetically Modified Foods, pesticides and preservatives and showing how some food companies are trying to use social media to boost their awareness among children and teens in hopes of snagging them at an early age to make them life long customers.

Although the abundance of food is at a high point there are still millions of people who are suffering from lack of good food, the author describes ways that people are finding ways to bring fresh food to those in need as well as many people who have started to create small city and neighborhood gardens.

This may be written for young readers but I found it to be very informative as it detailed a brief early history of food to what is currently happening in the food industry. There was also a look at nutrition and health related issues. Also mentioned were food activists and what many were trying to do to make changes such as two Girl Scouts who wanted to have palm oil removed from the cookies especially since the use of the oil was resulting in deforestation.

With so many advancements in the food industry, it's important to know and understand what we're eating and also why. I think Foodprint is a pretty interesting book that gives young readers the information needed for them to make decisions about what they're eating and buying.