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Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal (2013)

by Melanie Warner

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1949138,997 (3.71)5
"From breakfast cereal to frozen pizza to nutrition bars, processed foods are a fundamental part of our diet, accounting for 65% of our nation's yearly calories. Over the past century, technology has transformed the American meal into a chemical-laden smorgasbord of manipulated food products that bear little resemblence to what our grandparents ate. Despite the growing presence of farmers' markets and organic offerings, food additives and chemical preservatives are nearly impossible to avoid, and even the most ostensibly healthy foods contain multisyllabic ingredients with nearly untraceable origins. The far-reaching implications of the industrialization of the food supply that privleges cheap, plentiful, and fast food have been well documented. They are dire. But how did we ever reach the point where 'pink slime' is an acceptable food product? Is anybody regulating what makes it into our food? What, after all, is actually safe to eat? Former York Times health columnist Melanie Warner combines deep investigatory reporting, culinary history, and cultural analysis, to find out how we got here and what it is we're really eating. Vividly written and meticulously researched, Pandora's Lunchbox blows the lid off the largely undocumented world of processed foods and food manipulation. From the vitamin "enrichments" to our fortified cereals and bread, to the soy mixtures that bolster chicken (and often outweigh the actual chicken included), Warner lays bare the dubious nutritional value and misleading labels of chemically-treated foods, as well as the potential price we--and our children--may pay"--… (more)
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» See also 5 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
It's a good book - with some good research and it does make you stop and think about what you're eating. I think she could have had a stronger finish - the end was a bit wishy washy - so well, what do we do? Considering all of the Monsanto crap, what's put into our food is very important. And I know I'm eating crap when I eat morningstar farms bacon. I would probably be better off eating organic bacon. ( )
  mlcash | Mar 4, 2022 |
A truly wonderful book full of information on processed food. I learned so much. I liked the recommendations in the last chapter to reduce intake of processed food but not to eliminate it. ( )
  Bookjoy144 | Mar 2, 2022 |

Sometimes, you just need a reminder and this book is a not a kick in the pants. More like a friendly tap of the foot.

If it were possible on good reads, I would probably rate this a 3.4 star book. This book further muddies the waters in figuring out what is good for you. Melanie did a great job of researching (especially about the forefathers of the FDA) and interviewing the minions of the food industry. She sprinkled in some parts about her own family's stories of food (I would have liked a bigger dose of those stories in the book).

In the hectic moments of our daily lives, sometimes it's just easier to get fast food or throw something in the microwave to eat. And now that i have a family it makes it even more difficult - and more important.





( )
  wellington299 | Feb 19, 2022 |
adult nonfiction; food science/molecular engineering. Chemicals in your (processed) foods; not enough data to show how many of which are harmful (or not), but there is certainly enough evidence to be wary.

Sept 2020 update: I checked out the e-audio and this version is also good. Didn't finish it because I'd already read it (just forgot that I had). ( )
  reader1009 | Jul 3, 2021 |
One of the truly scariest books I've ever read. ( )
  beertraveler | Feb 5, 2016 |
Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
I have always stood for food that is food.

--Harvey Wiley, pioneering chemist and father of the Food and Drug Administration
Dedication
For Therese and Rich
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A number of years ago, I went to the supermarket and bought an overflowing armful of cereal boxes and cookie packages. (Introduction)
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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"From breakfast cereal to frozen pizza to nutrition bars, processed foods are a fundamental part of our diet, accounting for 65% of our nation's yearly calories. Over the past century, technology has transformed the American meal into a chemical-laden smorgasbord of manipulated food products that bear little resemblence to what our grandparents ate. Despite the growing presence of farmers' markets and organic offerings, food additives and chemical preservatives are nearly impossible to avoid, and even the most ostensibly healthy foods contain multisyllabic ingredients with nearly untraceable origins. The far-reaching implications of the industrialization of the food supply that privleges cheap, plentiful, and fast food have been well documented. They are dire. But how did we ever reach the point where 'pink slime' is an acceptable food product? Is anybody regulating what makes it into our food? What, after all, is actually safe to eat? Former York Times health columnist Melanie Warner combines deep investigatory reporting, culinary history, and cultural analysis, to find out how we got here and what it is we're really eating. Vividly written and meticulously researched, Pandora's Lunchbox blows the lid off the largely undocumented world of processed foods and food manipulation. From the vitamin "enrichments" to our fortified cereals and bread, to the soy mixtures that bolster chicken (and often outweigh the actual chicken included), Warner lays bare the dubious nutritional value and misleading labels of chemically-treated foods, as well as the potential price we--and our children--may pay"--

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