Sustainable Food Reading List

by Jill Richardson

categories: How Things Work, Policy, Politics, Recommended Reading

Published April 22, 2009 @ 08:12AM PT

Here's a list of must-read books if you want to learn more about food issues:

• The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan: If you read one book, make it be this one. Pollan traces four meals from farm to fork: McDonald's, Whole Foods, truly sustainable food, and food he hunts, grows, and gathers himself.
• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser: This is my other #1 book although it hardly addresses sustainability. But it does address human rights and food safety in a hard hitting and meaningful way and all in all, it's a must-read.
• Appetite for Profit by Michele Simon: I wish hospitals handed this book out to new mothers as required reading so that all parents read this book. Simon goes through all of the tactics "Big Food" uses to pretend they are "part of the solution" and to avoid getting regulated. She cuts right through their B.S. and tells you how to see what's really going on and answer back effectively.
• Anything by Marion Nestle: She's got 4 books and I love them all. Food Politics, Safe Food, What to Eat, and Pet Food Politics. The most enjoyable to read (and the most useful to someone who just wants to know what to eat) is What to Eat. And don't skip Pet Food Politics. It's an enjoyable read and although it is a case study of the 2007 pet food crisis, the lessons learned are directly applicable to human food safety issues too. The other two books are comprehensive looks at the issues but they are a bit denser to read, packed full of Nestle's authoritative, encyclopedic knowledge.
• Fat Land by Greg Critser: It's not even 100% focused on food but it explains VERY well how we got to be this fat as a nation. Obviously food is a big part of the picture but not all of it so it's nice to see how each of the issues plays out and works together.
• Teaming with Microbes: A Gardeners Guide to the Soil Food Web: This book simply blew me away. If you think you love organics now, you will REALLY love them after you read about how the life in the soil nourishes plants, improves the texture of the soil, and protects plants from pests and disease. Naturally this info is useful if you garden, but even if you don't, it's crucial to winning any argument about why organics are truly the way to go for our entire food system.
• Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel: I need to admit that I haven't read this yet. I need to. I just read a speech by Patel and I was blown away by it. He talks about why our world has nearly 1 billion who are starving and 1 billion who are fat. We've got enough food to feed us all, so why do we screw it up so badly?
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan: Shame on me again, I haven't read this either. I read a NY Times column by Pollan that included the main points of the book and loved it but I kind of felt like maybe I didn't need to read the book. I now think that I DO need to read the book. Pollan advocates that the best dietary advice is "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Yup.
• Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe: The book that started it all. It's a classic and still worth reading, so definitely check it out. I also recommend Hope's Edge by Lappe and her daughter, Anna Lappe.

This isn't a list of every book on my shelf but it covers the books I go back to for reference again and again. And it also isn't entirely focused on sustainability, but I think with our food system, all topics are interconnected. The same food that is best for the environment is also best for our health, for our animals, for our economy, and for our farmers.

(Photo credit: swanksalot on Flickr.com)