Featured Books & eBooks - Methodologies & Controversies in Food
Seeds of Science: How We Got It So Wrong on GMOs by Call Number: QH442.6 .L96ISBN: 9781472946959Publication Date: 2018Mark Lynas was one of the original GM field wreckers, but after decades of opposition, he’s changed his mind. After years touring Africa and Asia and working with plant scientists who are using this technology to help smallholder farmers in developing countries cope better with pests, diseases and droughts, Lynas evaluates his earlier assumptions about GM food and talks to both sides of this fractious debate to see what motivates people’s acceptance of and opposition to this technology.
Genetically Modified Foods: Basics, Applications, and Controversy by ISBN: 9781482242812Publication Date: 2016An increasingly hot-button issue, genetically modified (GM) food is considered by some as the best way to feed the world's growing population and by others as an experiment gone wrong performed on an unsuspecting public. This text details the basics of biotechnology and its applications in the laboratory and the field. It provides a balanced presentation of the pros and cons of GM foods, examining the arguments of proponents and opponents, and covering regulations governing GM food labeling.
GMO Myths and Truths: A Citizen’s Guide to the Evidence on the Safety and Efficacy of Genetically Modified Crops and Foods by ISBN: 9780993436703Publication Date: 2015It’s often claimed that the case against genetically modified (GM) crops and foods is based on emotion, not science, and that to oppose GM crop and food technology is to be anti-science. It’s also claimed that GM crops offer higher yields and better nutrition, that they are safe for health and the environment, that they reduce agrochemical use, and that they are needed to feed the world's growing population. This book, co-authored by two genetic engineers and a writer/researcher, exposes these claims as false, using scientific and other documented evidence.
Genetically Modified Food by Call Number: TP248.65.F66 G45746ISBN: 9780737771695Publication Date: 2014This collection of essays presents a variety of perspectives and conflicting opinions on whether genetically modified foods are safe to eat, how the environment is impacted by GM foods, and the effectiveness of government regulation around GM foods.
Quicklist
Kinchy, Abby. Seeds, Science, and Struggle: The Global Politics of Transgenic Crops. (2012) - eBook
Paarlberg, Robert L. Starved for Science. (2009) - eBook
Weirich, Paul. Labeling Genetically Modified Food: The Philosophical and Legal Debate. (2007) - TP248.65.F66 L33
Pesticides and GMOs by Call Number: SB951 .P4418ISBN: 9781534504141Publication Date: 2018Pesticides and GMOs help ensure that more people can enjoy nutritious produce, but is it possible they do more harm than good? From fears of their causing cancer to questions about the future of small and family farmers, there are issues enough with pesticides and GMOs to provide fuel for debate. This diverse collection of opposing viewpoints will provide readers with a fuller picture of this complex topic.
Pesticides, a Love Story: America's Enduring Embrace of Dangerous Chemicals by Call Number: SB950.2.A1 M37ISBN: 9780700621286Publication Date: 2015-11-06"Presto! No More Pests!" proclaimed a 1955 article introducing two new pesticides. Easy to use, effective, and safe: who wouldn't love synthetic pesticides? Flash forward half a century and even in the face of dire warnings, rising expenses, and declining effectiveness, the U.S. still clings to these “miracle” chemicals. Michelle Mart investigates the cultural history of pesticide use in postwar America to understand why.
Our Daily Poison by Call Number: RA1226 .R6213ISBN: 9781595589095Publication Date: 2014Following a two-year investigation that spanned three continents, Marie-Monique Robin exposes the shocking array of synthetic chemicals that we encounter in our everyday lives—from the pesticides that blanket our crops to the additives and plastics that contaminate our food—and discusses their effects on our bodies over time.
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Pretty, Jules (Ed.). Pesticide Detox: Toward a More Sustainable Agriculture. (2005) - eBook
Altieri, Miguel & Clara Nicholls. Biodiversity & Pest Management in Agroecosystems. (2004) - eBook
Beres, Samantha. Pesticides. (2002) - SB950.2.A1 B47
Johnston, John J. (Ed.). Pesticides & Wildlife. (2001) - QH545.P4 P48135
Integrated Pest Management: Principles and Practice by ISBN: 9781786390318Publication Date: 2016Providing a critical evaluation of the management strategies involved in ecologically-based pest management, this book presents a balanced overview of environmentally safe and ecologically sound approaches. Topics covered include biological control with fungi and viruses, conservation of natural predators, use of botanicals, and how effective pest management can help promote food security.
Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions by Call Number: SB976.I56 F37ISBN: 9781612122830Publication Date: 2014Harness the power of beneficial insects to deter pests and reduce crop damage. This comprehensive guide to farming with insects will have you building beetle banks and native plant field borders as you reap a bountiful and pesticide-free harvest. With strategies for identifying the insects you're trying to attract paired with step-by-step instructions for a variety of habitat-building projects, you'll soon learn how to employ your own biocontrol conservation tactics. Lay out the brush piles and plant the hedgerows because the insects are going to love it here!
IPM in Practice (2nd Ed.) by ISBN: 9781601077851Publication Date: 2012Designed to bring you the most up-to-date research and expertise, this manual draws on the knowledge of dozens of experts within the University of California, public agencies, and private practice to provide specific integrated pest management (IPM) strategies applicable to vegetable, field, and tree cops as well as landscape and urban situations.
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Dyck, V.A.; J. Hendrichs; & A.S. Robinson. Sterile Insect Technique: Principles & Practice in Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management. (2005) - eBook
Koul, Opender. Integrated Pest Management: Potential, Constraints, and Challenges. (2004) - eBook
Best Before: The Evolution & Future of Processed Food by Call Number: TP370 .T46ISBN: 9781472941404Publication Date: 2018Long before there was the ready meal, humans processed food to preserve it and make it safe. From fire to fermentation, our ancestors survived periods of famine by changing the very nature of their food. This ability to process food has undoubtedly made us one of the most successful species on the planet, but have we gone too far? Best Before puts processed food into perspective. It explores how processing methods have evolved in many of the foods that we love in response to big business, consumer demand, health concerns, innovation, political will, waste and even war.
Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry by ISBN: 9780520290686Publication Date: 2018A century and a half ago, when the food industry was first taking root, few consumers trusted packaged foods. Americans had just begun to shift away from eating foods that they grew themselves or purchased from neighbors. With the advent of canning, the American food supply has undergone a revolution, moving away from a system based on fresh, locally grown goods to one dominated by packaged foods. Anna Zeide investigates how this al came to be.
Fast Food Genocide: How Processed Food Is Killing Us & What We Can Do About It by Call Number: TX357.F84ISBN: 9780062571212Publication Date: 2017Board-certified physician, nutritional researcher, and leading voice in the health field, Joel Fuhrman, M.D., explains why the problem of poor nutrition is deeper, more serious, and more pervasive than anyone imagined. Fast Food Genocide draws on twenty-five years of clinical experience and research to confront our fundamental beliefs about the impact of what we eat. Fast food kills, but it also perpetuates bigotry and derails the American dream of equal opportunity and happiness for all.
In Defense of Processed Food: It's Not Nearly as Bad as You Think by Call Number: TP370.5.S54ISBN: 9783319453927Publication Date: 2016It has become popular to blame the American obesity epidemic and many other health-related problems on processed food. Though these criticisms may be valid for some processed-food items, many statements are overgeneralizations that unfairly target a wide range products that contribute to our health and well-being. This book presents a more nuanced view of the benefits and limitations of food processing and exposes some of the tricks both Big Food and its critics use to manipulate us to adopt their point of view.
Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Call Number: HD9000.5 .W339ISBN: 9781451666731Publication Date: 2013Combining meticulous research, vivid writing, and cultural analysis, Melanie Warner blows the lid off the largely undocumented (and lightly regulated) world of chemically treated and processed foods and lays bare the potential price we may pay for our modern diets of convenience.
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Freidberg, Susanne. Fresh: A Perishable History. (2009) - TP372.5 .F74
Shephard, Sue. Pickled, Potted & Canned: How the Art & Science of Food Preserving Changed the World. (2000) - TX601.S47
Real Food, Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do About It by Call Number: TX533 .O46ISBN: 9781616204211Publication Date: 2016You've seen the headlines: Parmesan cheese made from wood pulp. Lobster rolls containing no lobster at all. Extra-virgin olive oil that isn't. So many fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets that it's hard to know what we're eating anymore. In Real Food / Fake Food, award-winning journalist Larry Olmsted leads readers into the unregulated food industry, revealing the shocking deception that extends from high-end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday staples such as coffee, honey, juice, and cheese. It's a massive bait and switch in which counterfeiting is rampant and in which the consumer ultimately pays the price.
Sorting the Beef from the Bull: The Science of Food Fraud Forensics by Call Number: TX541.E95ISBN: 9781472911339Publication Date: 2016As urban lifestyles draw us farther away from our food sources, there are increasing opportunities for dishonesty, duplicity, and profit-making shortcuts. Analytical chemist Richard Evershed and science writer Nicola Temple introduce readers to the scientific tools and techniques that have revealed the century's biggest food fraud scams, and shed light on the ever-continuing arms race between fraudsters and food scientists.
Quicklist
Laufer, Peter. Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling. (2014) - HD9000.5 .L376
Wilson, Bee. Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, From Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee. (2008) - TX531 .W688