Bitter Harvest

A Chef's Perspective on the Hidden Danger in the Foods We Eat and What You Can Do About It

By: Ann Cooper, Lisa M. Holmes

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Paperback | 12 August 2014 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
292 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.55

Paperback

$188.75

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The history of food is not as straightforward as it may seem. Food isn't just food. It is ritual, tradition and memory. So begins Ann Cooper's groundbreaking new book on the history of sustenance. Cooper, a renowned chef and graduate of New York's famed Culinary Institute of America, expertly guides us from the roots of agriculture in North America through the profound changes initiated by the Industrial Revolution, all the way up to the present day, offering analyses of recent controversies such as Europe's campaign against Frankenstein food and the genetic engineering of plants and animals in the United States. Throughout, Cooper takes both a macro and micro approach, examining the effect politics, technology, war, international trade and agribusiness have had on the world's food supply, as well as the changing social patterns which have made a family meal at the table almost a relic of the past. Did you know? · 80% of chicken has salmonella. · By the year 2010, 95 percent of items bought at the grocery store may be consumed within 20 minutes of getting them home. · Cancer researchers believe that over one third of all future cancers will be diet-related -- roughly the same proportion now attributable to smoking. Passionate, political, informed and engaging, Bitter Harvest is filled with fascinating facts and anecdotes. Cooper offers a comprehensive analysis of the issue of sustainability, arguing persuasively why we must begin to change everything from the way food is shipped to the basic components of our diets. Touching on virtually every aspect of the food culture, Bitter Harvest is a vibrant example of the emergence of the chef as a political voice to be reckoned with. A food manifesto for the new millennium, it is a must-read for anyone concerned with health, nutrition and the future of our planet. You will never look at your dinner plate in quite the same way again.

Industry Reviews

"Bitter Harvest is a passionate, engaging text that exhibits years of research and fact-gathering." -- Gastronomica, Fall 2001
"Part expose, part consumer guidebook, this carefully researched and readable work highlights the connections between the food we eat and the conditions of its production. In doing so, it offers practical advice on how the average shopper can contribute toward both a healthier food supply and a more sustainable environment." -- E (Westport), Allentown Call, James E. McWilliams
"Recommended for public and academic libraries." -- Library Journal
"To counter these environmentally damaging trends, Cooper shows how farmers, cooks, and concerned-citizen groups are striving to grow and market food that is sustainable, safe, and healthy. An appendix of resources offers the reader ways to learn moe about sustainable agriculture and environmentally sound practices. Recomended for public and academic libraries." -- Ilse Heidmann, San Marcos, TX
"Bitter Harvest offers some fascinating reading about the history of agriculture and the politics of food and power." -- The Oregonian
"Cooper. . . is a passionate advocate of small-scale, sustainable farming (which she defines as a method that returns to the earth as much as it consumes) and a sharp critic of agribusiness (large-scale industrial farming). . . Her vision of the future is one where sustainable farming would adopt the best of emerging technologies and strictly control the introduction of potentially harmful practices." -- --Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2000
"A concerned chef puts the food supply under scrutiny and comes up with some bad news about what's wrong with teh way we're growing our food and eating it too...Cooper, formerly executive chef at the Putney Inn in Vermont and currently a consultant for the Culinary Institute of America, is a passionate advocate of small-scale, sustainable farming(which she defines as a method that returns to the earth as much as it consumes) and a sharp critic of agribusiness (large-scale industrial farming)...Her vision of the future is one where sustainable farming would adopt the best of emerging techinologies and strictly control the introduction of potentially harmful practices." -- Kirkus Reviews

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