Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal
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- Author：Mark Bittman
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Summary
"Epic and engrossing。"
—The New York Times Book Review
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist， an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity’s appetite for food， farmland， and the money behind it all—and how a better future is within reach。
The story of humankind is usually told as one of technological innovation and economic influence—of arrowheads and atomic bombs， settlers and stock markets。 But behind it all， there is an even more fundamental driver: Food。
In Animal， Vegetable， Junk， trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments， from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide—and to our current moment， wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change， plunders our planet， and sickens its people。 Even still， Bittman refuses to concede that the battle is lost， pointing to activists， workers， and governments around the world who are choosing well-being over corporate greed and gluttony， and fighting to free society from Big Food’s grip。
Sweeping， impassioned， and ultimately full of hope， Animal， Vegetable， Junk reveals not only how food has shaped our past， but also how we can transform it to reclaim our future。
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist， an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity’s appetite for food， farmland， and the money behind it all—and how a better future is within reach。
The story of humankind is usually told as one of technological innovation and economic influence—of arrowheads and atomic bombs， settlers and stock markets。 But behind it all， there is an even more fundamental driver: Food。
In Animal， Vegetable， Junk， trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments， from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide—and to our current moment， wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change， plunders our planet， and sickens its people。 Even still， Bittman refuses to concede that the battle is lost， pointing to activists， workers， and governments around the world who are choosing well-being over corporate greed and gluttony， and fighting to free society from Big Food’s grip。
Sweeping， impassioned， and ultimately full of hope， Animal， Vegetable， Junk reveals not only how food has shaped our past， but also how we can transform it to reclaim our future。
Reviews
Jeremy Garber
，
I liked Mark Bittman the excellent cookbook writer。 But I'm in love with Mark Bittman the advocate of social food justice。 In this book， Bittman traces the history of agriculture from its beginning （possibly humanity's biggest mistake？） through medieval serfdom to American genocide， slavery， and the literally death-dealing power of multinational neoliberal capitalism。 Bittman says in his introduction that he feels this is the most important book he has ever written， and it has certainly made me I liked Mark Bittman the excellent cookbook writer。 But I'm in love with Mark Bittman the advocate of social food justice。 In this book， Bittman traces the history of agriculture from its beginning （possibly humanity's biggest mistake？） through medieval serfdom to American genocide， slavery， and the literally death-dealing power of multinational neoliberal capitalism。 Bittman says in his introduction that he feels this is the most important book he has ever written， and it has certainly made me reconsider the history of food on this planet and in this country - and my role in upholding the murderous status quo。 。。。more
Debra
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Comprehensive look at the food industry and its history through the lens of exploitation of labor， animals， land， soil， water。 Although much is familiar， Bittman does an excellent job of binging salient facts and history together with context and showing where the significant issues are today for much of the population。 Yes it's depressing and though there are signs of hope and suggestions as to what roads we need to go down in order to better feed people and enhance the health of the planet， it Comprehensive look at the food industry and its history through the lens of exploitation of labor， animals， land， soil， water。 Although much is familiar， Bittman does an excellent job of binging salient facts and history together with context and showing where the significant issues are today for much of the population。 Yes it's depressing and though there are signs of hope and suggestions as to what roads we need to go down in order to better feed people and enhance the health of the planet， it strikes me that this is a very tall order。 Definitely a worthwhile book。 。。。more
Oliver
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A very interesting history of how we humans discovered， developed and ultimately degraded our food sources。 Although some of the information has been covered in other recent books， Bittman does a fine job incorporating those sources with older ones。 He concludes that our current methods of food cultivation and production have less to do with feeding and nutrition and more to do with pure profits。
Zora
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I saw some minor errors of fact in here， and he really tried to do too much in one book。 The "solutions" part doesn't go very far in depth。 I'm not sure anyone could take any action after reading this that would help。 I saw some minor errors of fact in here， and he really tried to do too much in one book。 The "solutions" part doesn't go very far in depth。 I'm not sure anyone could take any action after reading this that would help。 。。。more
Cindy C
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Enlightening and MovingMark Bittman provides a historical context to Big Ag and its impact on our entire food system。 He then shows how it has negatively effected diet and health， compromised our farmland and threatens our very being without systemic change。 A variety of examples， both within the USA and abroad provide some hope for correcting this otherwise catastrophic situation but it’s complex and will take each of us to be involved。 Together he has expanded my awareness and strengthened my Enlightening and MovingMark Bittman provides a historical context to Big Ag and its impact on our entire food system。 He then shows how it has negatively effected diet and health， compromised our farmland and threatens our very being without systemic change。 A variety of examples， both within the USA and abroad provide some hope for correcting this otherwise catastrophic situation but it’s complex and will take each of us to be involved。 Together he has expanded my awareness and strengthened my personal intentions as a homemaker， consumer and citizen of this planet。 。。。more
Angelina Hazzouri
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omg。。。 okay it was so boring at first （in my opinion）， but wow。 it got good。 omg。。。
Angela
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Such an fascinating read of history through the lens of our food system。 I did not want it to end。
Cindy Brown Ash
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While I think in some places early in the book the story of food was oversimplified， viewing history through the lens of food production was useful。 The American section does not appear to have been oversimplified， and I can see how the impact of large corporations and globalization exacerbate the problems our food system have。 That said， I nearly didn’t finish this book， because I felt so hopeless by the penultimate chapter。 Fortunately， Bittman put a chapter at the end that focused on the posi While I think in some places early in the book the story of food was oversimplified， viewing history through the lens of food production was useful。 The American section does not appear to have been oversimplified， and I can see how the impact of large corporations and globalization exacerbate the problems our food system have。 That said， I nearly didn’t finish this book， because I felt so hopeless by the penultimate chapter。 Fortunately， Bittman put a chapter at the end that focused on the positive things emerging from our national food disaster。 I’ve read other stories， including Kristin Kimballl’s The Dirty Life and Good Husbandry， that remind me that there are people out there resisting the impact of agribusiness on our health and welfare。 This book is 5 stars because it’s important to pay attention to how our world works， and this one gives a good example of how the world works in a subject that concerns everyone。 By the way， if you think the American government still operates For the People， By the People。。。 it doesn’t。 Not even a little bit。 。。。more
John
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Had high hopes but this just too much of a screed
David
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Readable， but breezy。 Some useful background， but often hyperbolic。 Another long slog on what is wrong with American Agriculture。 Sadly， very short on how to correct a broken system。 Wish Bitman had spent this time researching what is actually happening in grass roots organizations all over the country。 There is a lot happening。 Read the works of Wes Jackson， Wendell Berry and other pioneers who have spent their lives addressing agriculture's shortcomings。 Or better yet， go plant a few hills of Readable， but breezy。 Some useful background， but often hyperbolic。 Another long slog on what is wrong with American Agriculture。 Sadly， very short on how to correct a broken system。 Wish Bitman had spent this time researching what is actually happening in grass roots organizations all over the country。 There is a lot happening。 Read the works of Wes Jackson， Wendell Berry and other pioneers who have spent their lives addressing agriculture's shortcomings。 Or better yet， go plant a few hills of potatoes。 。。。more
Melissa
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This was such an interesting book。 I learned more about colonialism and its impact on agriculture as well as current farming practices。 He talks about current industrial farming practices being similar to mining when we need long term practices that feed the soil。 This is a must read for anyone interested in food， farming， or ecology
Diana Sung
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Finally--a food book that attempts to look outside of "personal choice" for solutions to the problems of the standard American diet。I learned a lot。 He certainly tackled too much & had some odd lapses with his research， but it's a book that makes you think。 A lot。It's not going to be an easy read because he forces a look at exploitative systems in which we are all complicit。。。 But again， few books about food are willing to go there without defaulting to lecturing people about what they choose to Finally--a food book that attempts to look outside of "personal choice" for solutions to the problems of the standard American diet。I learned a lot。 He certainly tackled too much & had some odd lapses with his research， but it's a book that makes you think。 A lot。It's not going to be an easy read because he forces a look at exploitative systems in which we are all complicit。。。 But again， few books about food are willing to go there without defaulting to lecturing people about what they choose to eat。 。。。more
Jeff Brimhall
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Audio Book
Cwelshhans
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A very interesting look at the history of food production。
Greta
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A fascinating history of the evolution of how we humans have fed ourselves and the origins of the "food industry"。 The author addresses what we actually need to eat and discusses the consequences of eating what we currently do and its impact not only on our own health but the health and welfare of the entire planet。 A fascinating history of the evolution of how we humans have fed ourselves and the origins of the "food industry"。 The author addresses what we actually need to eat and discusses the consequences of eating what we currently do and its impact not only on our own health but the health and welfare of the entire planet。 。。。more
Francine
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This was engrossing， thought provoking and timely。 I haven't read another book on the topic that I have enjoyed so thoroughly。 Bittman is right， now is the time for change。Highly recommended。 This was engrossing， thought provoking and timely。 I haven't read another book on the topic that I have enjoyed so thoroughly。 Bittman is right， now is the time for change。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Tony
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Wow。 The history of the human race and of the United States projected from the perspective of agriculture。 Will be reading this again and sharing with friends。
Emma
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Mostly a terrifying and depressing history of our food system in the US and how it is built for and benefits the profits of large companies at the expense of actually feeding people healthy food。 One hopeful chapter at the end about how to change this， how it is changing but。。。 ack。
Larka Fenrir
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“Three things are true at the same time。 The world is much better; the world is awful; and the world can be much better。”- Max Roser， philosopher Even though Max Roser's quote references to many aspects of this world， in this book particularly the author and food writer Mark Bittman applies it to the food system， and more specifically the one present in the USA。 The book is divided in three sections: “The Birth of Growing”， “The Twentieth Century”， and “Change”。In “The Birth of Growing” we le “Three things are true at the same time。 The world is much better; the world is awful; and the world can be much better。”- Max Roser， philosopher Even though Max Roser's quote references to many aspects of this world， in this book particularly the author and food writer Mark Bittman applies it to the food system， and more specifically the one present in the USA。 The book is divided in three sections: “The Birth of Growing”， “The Twentieth Century”， and “Change”。In “The Birth of Growing” we learn how we evolved from being hunters and gatherers to the current condition of breeders and farmers， an evolutionary step that， as we will see， is the inherit cause of many of our world's problems。 A first look on the matter can be found in the second chapter， where the author explains the foundation of the Eurasian and American civilization， their periods of prosperity and decline， and their causes。 Same aspects in a different part of the world， the New one， will be explored in chapter three， with a particular remark on the destruction brought by the colonialists， and the enslavement of black people。 From here， we will proceed to see how Englishmen exploited not only the American colonies， but also Ireland， India and China， originating famines at home and oversea。 In the last chapter of the section， the issue on soil impoverishment is tackled， as well as the reason American wasn't （yet） affected， but instead flourished， at our future's health cost。“The Twentieth Century” is now all about America: how it evolved from the Industrial Revolution and WWI， and how the codependency of farmers and banks starts are all topics covered in the first chapter。 It goes on deepening the understanding of food as political weapon that gave birth to the food industry and new versions of food we all know nowadays， as well as the brand and marketing to sell them created in this period。 In the second half of this section the protagonist are the health consequences of this new processed food， what has been done about it and the beginning of lies so hard to uncovered once and for all。 On the same wave， we'll also see how fast food originated， and how junk food is engineered to be addictive since a young age， with particular attention to sugar， salt， and saturate fats。 The last chapter will change topic yet again， getting into the consequences of the United States as leader of the global agricultural industry: the big lie of the Green Revolution spreads around the globe， not unlikely its pesticides and GMOs with their consequences on the environment。The author leaves us with a （partial） bright sight on the matter: “Change”。 Like its name reveals， is all about what we have done and what we could do to improve our health and environment。 Now evident things such as the “Four Laws of Ecology” by Barry Commoner had to be written， in sharp opposition to the “Four Laws of Capitalism” of John Bellamy Fosters [both can be found here]， and the important first steps into this battle， in which a better attention on labels and the kind of product we buy （with particular attention to the bio ones） lead the way for a more sustainable way of life。 Switching to a plant based diet will also impact largely， without the negative effects （ecological and moral） of both the industrial animal production and fishing; the author also points out how farming and climate change influences each other， and reminds us of the first positive changes to our food system， such as agroecology。In conclusion， according to Mark Bittman we don't know what a functioning food system would look like， but we have the guide lines to get there， and it must be based on cooperation， while its goals must be equality， justice， and judicious treatment of the Earth。I'm only a beginner for what concerns the topic from a point of view strictly historical， so I can't say much about that， if not that the style of the book reminded me of another book， although of a different topic （history of human societies）: Guns， Germs and Steel。 The facts are presented in an exhaustive and yet not pedantic nor overwhelming way。 On an environmental point of view， however， I had my fair share of articles and books on the argument， and most of all I have the first hand experience from the years spent being a vegan， with particular attention on animal welfare and the advantages of a plant based diet on the environment， animals and people。 In those paragraphs in which the author explained the correlation between the elements involved， I found myself nodding along and appreciating the way he expressed the most critical （and difficult） facts and thoughts on the matter。 As the author rightfully said Not everyone realizes it， but plants create biomass， and animals， for the most part， consume it。 Plants turn sunlight， air， water， and soil into stuff， including food。 Dependent and even parasitic， animals do none that: We can create biomass only by helping and encouraging — or at least not hindering or destroying — the work of plants。 Yet， pathetic as we are in that regard， we’ve become the only creatures in history who can destroy the world。 Another important aspect that gets discussed is the equality， something that in a civilized world should exist in every aspect of human life， and yet it's missing in its basic forms。 Bittman addresses the injustice women， black people， and other minorities （only to name a few） are subdued to， something it's difficult to imagine in a simple act of survival as providing food for ourself and our families might seem。 Once more， food isn't just food， but the way we think about it and the way we approach it can change everybody's lives。This book opens your eyes on the perversity of a system that managed to camouflage itself， that promoted itself between the good guys， the one attending your every need， while it's inexorably chewing and spitting our home and the people that thinks disposable， all in the name of profits。 For decades， Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet。 We didn’t worry about its effects on our health， on the environment， on resources， or on the lives of the animals or even the workers it relies upon。 Nor did we worry about its ability to endure — that is， its sustainability。 We have been encouraged， even forced， to remain ignorant of both the costs of industrial agriculture and the non-environment-wrecking， healthier alternatives。 Yet if terrorists stole or poisoned a large share of our land， water， and other natural resources， underfed a sixth of the population and seeded disease among half， threatened our ability to feed ourselves in the future， deceived， lied to， and poisoned our children， tortured our animals， and ruthlessly exploited many of our citizens we’d consider that a threat to national security and respond accordingly。 Contemporary agriculture， food production， and marketing have done all of that， with government support and without penalty。 That must end。 To meet the human and environmental crises head-on， we must ask ourselves: What would a just food system look like？ I believe we can answer that question （and I try to）， and although getting to that place won’t be easy， it’s crucial — because nothing is more important than food。 You can’t talk about reforming a toxic diet without talking about reforming the land and labor laws that determine that diet。 You can’t talk about agriculture without talking about the environment， about clean sources of energy， and about the water supply。 You can’t talk about animal welfare without talking about the welfare of food workers， and you can’t talk about food workers without talking about income inequality， racism， and immigration。 In fact， you can’t have a serious conversation about food without talking about human rights， climate change， and justice。 Food not only affects everything， it represents everything。 My goals are to show how we got here， to describe the existential threats presented by the state of food and agriculture， and — perhaps most important — to describe the beginnings of a way forward。 It’s a given that Big Food， like Big Oil， is unsustainable， if for no other reason than that energy and matter are finite， and the extraction of limited resources is precarious。 As with the climate crisis — to which food production is a major contributor — there’s still time to come to our senses and change things for the better。 It isn’t a sure bet， but it’s possible。 The conversation starts with an understanding of the origins， evolution， and influence of food。 Animal， Vegetable， Junk attempts to provide that understanding， and to imagine a better future。 It’s a chronological telling that blends scientific， historical， and societal analyses。 （It also occasionally reflects my personal experience。） It’s an ambitious book （perhaps too ambitious; you’ll be the judge of that）， but one I had to write。 I hope it changes the way you think about food， and everything it touches。 Table of contentsI。 The Birth of Growing1。 The Food-Brain Feedback Loop2。 Soil and Civilization3。 Agriculture Goes Global4。 Creating Famine5。 The American Way of FarmingII。 The Twentieth Century6。 The Farm as Factory7。 Dust and Depression8。 Food and the Brand9。 Vitamania and “the Farm Problem”10。 Soy， Chicken， and Cholesterol11。 Force-feeding Junk12。 The So-called Green RevolutionIII。 Change13。 The Resistance14。 Where We're At15。 The Way Forward Conclusion16。 We Are All EatersRating: ★★★★Other books by the author are all available hereTop 3 lists on GoodReads on environment• Best Enviromental Books• Best Sustainability Nonfiction• Best Climate Change Books***Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。*** 。。。more
Elizabeth Strauch
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Got about 1/3 through and while interesting， didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it would。 And it was overdue at the library。 Got about 1/3 through and while interesting， didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it would。 And it was overdue at the library。 。。。more
Dan Howard
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A disappointing read。 First， this is a very derivative work。 By that I mean that it is almost a readers digest summary of many other books by other authors。 To be fair， Mr。 Bittman freely acknowledges these sources in the text， but there isn't much in the way of original work。 In the cases I am familiar with， the referenced books provide a much more nuanced and complex discussion of these issues than the simplistic discussion in this book。Second， everything is filtered through the author's own h A disappointing read。 First， this is a very derivative work。 By that I mean that it is almost a readers digest summary of many other books by other authors。 To be fair， Mr。 Bittman freely acknowledges these sources in the text， but there isn't much in the way of original work。 In the cases I am familiar with， the referenced books provide a much more nuanced and complex discussion of these issues than the simplistic discussion in this book。Second， everything is filtered through the author's own highly biased beliefs。 The author apparently never encountered a problem that can't be attributed to white European men or capitalism， usually both。 The book is also heavily anti-meat/animal food。 Although the title is Animal， Vegetable， Junk， animal based foods are usually lumped together with junk。 。。。more
R。
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There are some good thoughts here， and much to think about， but I think it speaks with somewhat too much authority about the broad sweeps of history。 Doing a world history of food systems is pretty challenging， and having a very strong angle without adding much in the way of nuance means I trusted its interpretation less as my progress advanced。
Cathi Davis
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The book has radicalized me。 Not many books do that right？The first 1/3 of the book is a terrific mad dash through the history of agriculture。 Wow what a ride。 The fundamental change that becoming agrarian did to the human race 。。。yes obvious but。。。more children because （duh） you don’t have to carry them around like you did when you were a nomadic hunter gatherer。 A quote“Larger populations demanded that land become more productive。 When that wasn’t possible。。。more land had to be found。 This usu The book has radicalized me。 Not many books do that right？The first 1/3 of the book is a terrific mad dash through the history of agriculture。 Wow what a ride。 The fundamental change that becoming agrarian did to the human race 。。。yes obvious but。。。more children because （duh） you don’t have to carry them around like you did when you were a nomadic hunter gatherer。 A quote“Larger populations demanded that land become more productive。 When that wasn’t possible。。。more land had to be found。 This usually meant mobilizing armies。”So more war Imperialism and colonization。Slavery。Famine。Deforestation overgrazing failure to fallow monoculture UPC （ultra processed foods）Another quote“Food was no longer something you cultivated outside your door。。。it was produced far afield， by exploited labor overseen by strangers then shipped in unimaginable quantities to supply huge markets。”Last quote“The riches of the rest of the world were stolen to create a powerful，beautiful and cultured Europe。”After this history lesson the statement that food security is a political issue is no longer in question。Our historic （and current） treatment of Blacks and Indigenous people in this country was the foundation that allowed the White population to dominate。 What if free land HAD been given to freed slaves？！ （Instead of limiting the Homestead Act to white males） Would our society be different today？ Maybe。 The issue of reparations is a hot button topic even today but when you read the history —and the inaction（and outright discrimination of the USDA） yes we are obliged to make amends The middle third is mostly about the American way of farming and the triumph of “science” over sense。 I am of the generation that believed that only science could solve world hunger。 Yes the factory farms are unnerving but what is the alternative。。。hunger？ After reading this I no longer believe this。 It is not science to ignore the degradation of the soil water and air because of factory monoculture farming。 We have an agricultural system built on profit that ignores science “Organic” has become a marketing ploy that doesn’t address the underlying problems。 Crop rotation soil health fallowing。。。farmers who do this can increase yield without resorting to GMO seed super hybrids antibiotics and monoculture Add in the use of real scientific methods in farming that set soil health as a paramount goal and you’re even reducing your carbon footprint。 I don’t mean to write the whole book in this review but every page is astounding。 The exclusion of agricultural and domestic workers from the Social Security Act and the Fair Labor Standards in 1938 because of southern Democrats。 And the vestige of that （tipping excluded from minimum wage） continues today。The Middle section also includes a survey of nutrition （or the lack） but much of this is well known especially if you’ve read Michael Pollen’s books。 The last third tries to be the hopeful part highlighting the green shoots of change。 Not that much joy and it kind of ends suddenly with a “support the Green New Deal” without the same detail from the rest of the book。 Clearly he had reached the “publish now” deadline。 But。。。from being a “the Green new Deal goes too far and is more than climate change” I now understand the connections between a living wage sustainable agriculture and climate change。 So green shootsPrairie stripsKernzaFull Belly FarmHEAL （Health environment agriculture labor） food allianceOur RootsALBA （agriculture and land based training association）In summary he says we need to move to a system of agriculture whose primary purpose is nourishment not the current system of profit （above nourishment。。。is it even a factor to Big Ag？）Big Ag wants us to worry over feeding 10 billion which allows them to focus on higher yields （and higher profits） but this is a misdirection。 Last quote （really）“There is already enough food 。。。for all humans to live well and without ravaging our planet。 To let desperation and scarcity myths guide our vision is to fall into industry’s hands。 Better to prioritize food security for all and intelligently use the abundance that already exists。”Amen 。。。more
Stephen Rynkiewicz
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The Wonder Bread generation knew that white bread had a dark side， “enriched” to replace milled-away nutrients。 But our tastes were simple， and we had faith that cheap Space Age foods could feed the world。 Bittman produces a well-rounded history of how our diet of Lunchables failed to science our way to health， and fortifies us for change。
Sadie
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If you eat food， you need to read this book。
Caroline
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Overview of human agriculture from prehistory to the present。 Very depressing tale of increasing capitalist big ag all over the world。 Last chapters suggest some positive steps for the future。
Zhuo Zhang
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A little history of agriculture。 The subtitle says it all。
Joanne Adams
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This was an excellent book that I cannot say enough good things about: excellent writing， great research， and good continual theme throughout。 Overall， this is one of my favorite subjects and I would purchase this book。 This was a 2021 MMD winter preview
Jeff
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I own three or four of Bittman's cookbooks and consider them some of the best cookbooks out there。 Knowing him only as a cookbook author and NY Times columnist， I wasn't sure what to expect from this book。But I was drawn in to the book from its very first chapter。 Bittman's a good writer。 In this book he takes his readers on a tour of what got us into the food mess we're in， the impact it has on us as individuals and on the planet as a whole， and then suggests a better path forward。 I own three or four of Bittman's cookbooks and consider them some of the best cookbooks out there。 Knowing him only as a cookbook author and NY Times columnist， I wasn't sure what to expect from this book。But I was drawn in to the book from its very first chapter。 Bittman's a good writer。 In this book he takes his readers on a tour of what got us into the food mess we're in， the impact it has on us as individuals and on the planet as a whole， and then suggests a better path forward。 。。。more
Scott
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