Safe Food

Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism

Marion Nestle

366 pages, parution le 28/04/2003

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Résumé

Food safety is a matter of intense public concern, and for good reason. Millions of annual cases of food "poisonings" raise alarm not only about the food served in restaurants and fast-food outlets but also about foods bought in supermarkets. The introduction of genetically modified foods --immediately dubbed "Frankenfoods"--only adds to the general sense of unease. Finally, the events of September 11, 2001, heightened fears by exposing the vulnerability of food and water supplies to attacks by bioterrorists. How concerned should we be about such problems? Who is responsible for preventing them? Who benefits from ignoring them? Who decides?

Marion Nestle, author of the critically acclaimed Food Politics, argues that ensuring safe food involves more than washing hands or cooking food to higher temperatures. It involves politics. When it comes to food safety, billions of dollars are at stake, and industry, government, and consumers collide over issues of values, economics, and political power--and not always in the public interest. Although the debates may appear to be about science, Nestle maintains that they really are about control: Who decides when a food is safe?

She demonstrates how powerful food industries oppose safety regulations, deny accountability, and blame consumers when something goes wrong, and how century-old laws for ensuring food safety no longer protect our food supply. Accessible, informed, and even-handed, Safe Food is for anyone who cares how food is produced and wants to know more about the real issues underlying today's headlines.

Contents

Introduction: Food Safety is Political

Resisting Food Safety

The Politics of Foodborne Illness: Issues and Origins
Resisting Meat and Poultry Regulation. 1974-1994
Attempting to Control Food Pathogens, 1994-2002
Achieveing Safe Food: Alternatives

Safety as a Surrogate: the Ironic Politics of Food Biotechnology

Peddling Dreams: Promises versus Reality
Risks and Benefits: Who Decides?
The Politics of Government Oversight
The Politics of Consumer Concern: Distrust, Dread, and Outrage

Conclusion: The Future of Food Safety: Public versus Bioterrorism

Appendix: The Science of Plant Biotechnology
Notes
Index

L'auteur - Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle is Professor and Chair of Nutrition and Food Studies, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University. She is the author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (2002) and Nutrition in Clinical Practice (1985).

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	University of California Press
Auteur(s)	Marion Nestle
Parution	28/04/2003
Nb. de pages	366
Format	16 x 23,5
Couverture	Relié
Poids	715g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780520232921
ISBN13	978-0-520-23292-1