Synopses & Reviews
It started with little fanfare over a decade ago, when genetically modified foods quietly appeared on American grocery shelves. But in the years since, GM foods have sparked a global controversy and sounded alarms here at home, triggered by a multitude of unanswered questions and dubious practices, such as highly publicized cases of "biopharm" crops contaminating the food supply...runaway commodity prices and worldwide food shortages triggered, in part, by the biofuel movement...Europe's open hostility to GM foods and Africa's outright refusal to accept food aid containing genetically modified crops.
Combining solid scientific knowledge with a gripping narrative, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel helps readers make sense of this complex, contentious issue. Positioning itself directly at the intersection of food, politics, and technology, Food Fray captures the real-life experiences and wide-ranging perspectives of the scientists, farmers, policymakers, and grassroots activists on the front lines of this fierce debate, teasing out the hype from the reality and uncovering the very real pros and cons of genetically modified foods.
Insightful and even-handed, Food Fray:
- Exposes the ruthless business practices of biotech giants such as Monsanto, which demands that new GM seeds be purchased each year and aggressively pursues violators.
- Examines the romantic, pre-scientific mentality that inflames anti-GMF passions in Europe and stirs a deep-rooted fear of "Frankenfoods."
- Looks at the troubling question of whether a corporation can own proprietary rights to something as essential to survival as seeds.
- Uncovers hypocritical elements of the Bush Administration's push for GMF as a humanitarian measure for starving Third World nations.
- Reveals the benefits of high-yield GM rice in providing crucial calories to the chronically hungry — while inadvertently reducing dietary variety and causing malnutrition.
- Explains the complicated science behind GM foods, and the sound reasons that pro-GMF sentiments prevail in the scientific community.
- Explores the future potential of GM crops to provide global food security — and the need to put the public good above the profit motives that drive the biotech industry.
Genetically modified foods are ubiquitous in the American diet — 80 percent of all corn and 92 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. are now GM varieties. But it's a science with the potential to bring both good and harm, and an issue with no easy answers. Food Fray looks at every aspect of the debate from multiple perspectives, giving you the information you need to make up your own mind.
Review
“A riveting and disturbing reality check, Food Fray is a crucial reminder that it's time to be informed, not passive. Weasel's is a compelling voice affirming that the desire to know more about GM foods before eating them and to allay concerns about safety and environmental impacts, isn't at all anti-science. It's a decidedly pro-human stance.” --The Miami Herald
Review
“A riveting and disturbing reality check, Food Fray is a crucial reminder that it's time to be informed, not passive. Weasel's is a compelling voice affirming that the desire to know more about GM foods before eating them and to allay concerns about safety and environmental impacts, isn't at all anti-science. It's a decidedly pro-human stance.” --The Miami Herald
"Weasel asks and answers important questions about the world's food supply." --The Oregonian
“Dr. Weasel masterfully navigates the complicated and multi-faceted history of the storied GM debate, giving equal treatment to the various sides and ultimately entrusting the readers to come to their own conclusions. The end result is required reading for anyone curious about GM technologies, past, present and future.” -- Common Ground Magazine
"The well-written and well-researched book combines interviews with scientists, activists, farmers, and consumers with scientific insights into this contemporary controversy." -- SciTech Book News
"An intelligent synthesis of solid research, firsthand reporting, and comprehendible analysis that manages to stay objective while critically examining the issues at hand." --World Future Review
2009 Green Book Festival Competition Winner in the Scientific category
"The book gives a well-rounded, even-handed account fitting for any reader interested in learning more about a pressing food issue." --The Sierra Club, "The Green Life" Blog
Review
"Weasel asks and answers important questions about the world's food supply." --The Oregonian
Review
“Dr. Weasel masterfully navigates the complicated and multi-faceted history of the storied GM debate, giving equal treatment to the various sides and ultimately entrusting the readers to come to their own conclusions. The end result is required reading for anyone curious about GM technologies, past, present and future.” -- Common Ground Magazine
Review
"The well-written and well-researched book combines interviews with scientists, activists, farmers, and consumers with scientific insights into this contemporary controversy." -- SciTech Book News
Review
"An intelligent synthesis of solid research, firsthand reporting, and comprehendible analysis that manages to stay objective while critically examining the issues at hand." --World Future Review
Review
2009 Green Book Festival Competition Winner in the Scientific category
Review
"The book gives a well-rounded, even-handed account fitting for any reader interested in learning more about a pressing food issue." --The Sierra Club, "The Green Life" Blog
Synopsis
More than ten years ago, the first genetically modified foods took their place on the shelves of American supermarkets. But while American consumers remained blissfully unconcerned with the new products that suddenly filled their kitchens, Europeans were much more wary of these "Frankenfoods." When famine struck Africa in 2002, several nations refused shipments of genetically modified foods, fueling a controversy that put the issue on the world's political agenda for good.
In Food Fray, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel brings readers into the center of this debate, capturing the real-life experiences of the scientists, farmers, policymakers and grassroots activists on the front lines. Here she combines solid scientific knowledge and a gripping narrative to tell the real story behind the headlines and the hype. Seminal and cutting-edge, Food Fray enlightens and informs and will allow readers to make up their own minds about one of the most important issues facing us today.
About the Author
Lisa H. Weasel, Ph.D.(Portland, OR) is a renowned scientist who received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the issue of genetically modified foods. She is currently a tenured associate Professor of Biology at Portland State University in Oregon and a member of Governor Ted Kulongoski’s task force on developing public policy for bio-pharmaceutical crops in Oregon.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 — Food Fight: The Historical Roots of the GM
Food Debate
Chapter 2 — Out of the Swamps and Up from the Soil: DNA
at the Dinner Table
Chapter 3 — Of Politics and Precaution: ‘‘Frankenfood’’
Frenzy in Europe
Chapter 4 — A Kinder, Gentler GM: Will Biotech Seeds Save
the World?
Chapter 5 — Feast or Famine? The Politics of GM Food Aid
in Africa
Chapter 6—‘‘Our Seeds Know Our Soil’’: Knowledge, Power,
and Resistance to GM Food in India
Chapter 7 — The Scent of GM Papaya: The Rough Road to
Biotech Rice
Chapter 8 — Got Hormones? Engineering the Nation’s Milk
Supply
Chapter 9 — From Pharm to Fuel: The Future of GM Food
Conclusion: The Ongoing Battle Over GM Food
Notes
Index