Stuffed and Starved - Book Report/Review Example

Stuffed and Starved – Chapters 9 & 10‘Choices’ are every individual’s birthright and as such we have the freedom to choose what we eat. However, do we do this wisely and consciously, is the big question that faces all of us. According to anthropologist Claude Levi- Strauss, “before food is nice to eat, it has to be nice to think about. (Raj Patel, 2012) Though we have the freedom of choice, yet, it is captured by many forces that are quite beyond our control, such as our customs and traditions, our environment and our routine lifestyles.

Even though, we might try to stick to some of our special choices, yet, the market does not allow it for long, because “Every year, food corporations introduce 15 -20,000 new food products to the market.” (Raj Patel, 2012) and we consciously or unconsciously are sometimes forced into changing these choices.At most times, we are not conscious that the choices we make, are not by natural selection, or by the freedom at our disposal, because, even before we make these choices, they are influenced by food corporations, television, war and even our work and lifestyles and these choices are therefore narrowed down to a great extent.

Hence, we could say that consuming food or making choices about food are the direct result of hidden forces that we hardly pay any attention to and therefore these choices are not normal. According to Peter Jaret in his article on the “10 Top Food Mistakes you make” “Ours is an age of unprecedented bounty and convenience and almost non-stop nutritional advice” and with so much at our disposal, yet we are unable to make the right choices.Name 2Chapter 10, “Inside the Hourglass” is Raj Patel’s summing up of the food industry as it exists today.

He strongly feels that the food system is not working the way it should be working for us. Enlightening us on today’s agribusiness, he states that “food and marketing have contributed to record levels of diet- related disease, harming us today and planting a time bomb in the bodies of children around the world.” (Raj Patel, pg. 299) He feels that though the shelves in Supermarkets are filled with a wide assortment of foodstuff, yet, the consumer is unaware of the way food is produced and what ingredients go into the making.

In fact, as he puts it, we are disconnected “from the joy of eating.” (Raj Patel, pg. 299)The present order of the day is to call for a better food system that is not harmful to the consumer. There are many lessons, we have learned from the past food systems and now it calls for a drastic change in the food order system. The time has come for the wounds that have been inflicted upon the consumer to be healed by brining about this change. Instead of being pessimistic, he calls us to be optimistic in order to bring about a radical new food system that would be beneficial to mankind instead of harmful.

According to Patel, today’s food system is a big contender for Global warming and provides a fertile ground for disease.” (Raj Patel, pg. 300) by signing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to ensure that the food that comes into the market is safe for consumption, so it can prevent health problems before they occur. The Government also maintains a strict enforcement program to deal with individuals who do not comply with safety standards.

References (Chap. 9) Peter Jaret. 10 Top Food Mistakes you make. Web, Accessed in May 2014. www.prevention.com/food/healthy./make-better-healthy-eating-choicesRaj Patel. (2012) Stuffed and Starved. Chapter 9. Chosen by Bunnies. Publishedby Melville House. Pgs. 432References (Chap 10)Raj Patel. (2012) Stuffed and Starved. Chapter 9. Chosen by Bunnies. Publishedby Melville House. Pgs. 432What Government Does. Web. Accessed in May 2014.www.foodsafety.gov