This book is a looooooooooooong one. I would have abandoned this book had I read it, I managed to finish this because I listened to it during commute.
The first encounter I had with the inside stories of American processed food was watching Food Inc. documentary. I got to see horrific stories about meat plants, tactics and control that food giants exercise over farmers etc. This book is a more detailed text and tries to expose the food giants naked of their hypocrisy and indifference to welfare of their customers. Simply put, as the author describes, as companies they are doing what they are supposed to do – make money.
First of all, I feel blessed to be born in a culture that ridicules processed/packaged food and craves for home-made food from fresh ingredients. And I am lucky to have two great cooks at my home – my mom and my wife – after all, bread baked with love is the greatest and tastiest one. And I love the spicy food they prepare with fresh ingredients and that keeps my family mostly away from processed food.
When I moved to the US two years back and had to shop groceries myself, I was taken aback by the amount of processed, ready-to-eat food in grocery stores that’s full of sugar and cheese. And I never knew salt was being used in such high quantities in processed food. This book only makes me feel worse about the food and distances me a little more from the beautifully packaged “disgusting” food. Now, I completely understand why I started craving those oat cookies and why my kid craves Oreo cookies.
After reading this book, I stopped buying Oreo cookies, and reduced the supposedly good for you ‘Oatmeal cookies’. I will try to stay away from processed food as much as possible. Thanks Michael Moss for this long, enriching investigative text.
The British apparently said to America (in Too big to fail movie), “we don’t want to import your cancer”, about the sub-prime bonds. Processed food is also like cancer, read obesity. Don’t pay for it and import it unnecessarily to your home.
Watch out India (and developing world), don’t fall for this sugar-coated food. Stay away from this, our food is the best!
