Books of possible interest

Food and Nutrition Economics by George Davis and Elena Serrano published by Oxford University Press.  

“Food and Nutrition Economics offers a much-needed resource for non-economists looking to understand the basic economic principles that govern our food and nutritional systems. Comprising both a quick grounding in nutrition with the fundamentals of economics and expert applications to food systems, it is a uniquely accessible and much-needed bridge between previously disparate scholarly and professional fields.”

Douglas Southgate sent me a review copy of his book with Lois Roberts, Globalized Fruit, Local Entrepreneurs How One Banana-Exporting Country Achieved Worldwide Reach just published by University of Pennsylvania Press.  Here's how the book starts:

“A tropical commodity bought and sold by the boatload throughout the world. Agribusinesses with worldwide reach, including a firm that has been a lightning rod for anti-corporate criticism since the Great Depression. Minor Latin American states on the receiving end of globalization. An uncomplicated, and oft-told, story of banana republics and the misfortunes visited on them by multinational companies. What more need be said?

Bananas are the ultimate nonlocal food.”

But . . . (from the publisher):

“Instead, Southgate and Roberts show that a competitive market for tropical fruit exists in and around Guayaquil, a port city dedicated to international commerce for centuries. Moreover, that market has consistently rewarded productive entrepreneurship.”

Wheat breeding

One of my favorite interviews in Unnaturally Delicious was with Brett Carver, who is a fellow professor at Oklahoma State.  Carver is a wheat breeder.  He took me out to some fields I drive past every day.

“Carver took me out to the middle of an unusual-looking wheat field. The feeling of awe and beauty that comes when you look out at amber waves of grain arises, in part, from the many acting as one: each stalk and head of grain is about the same height and size, and the group moves in unison with the wind. But this wasn’t that type of field. Carver’s field looked a bit like
a bad hair day. It was chaotic. Some stalks of wheat were almost up to my waist, others were only a bit taller than ankle height. Some stalks were golden yellow, others were darker brown. Some spikes scrawny, others fat. Long bristles protruded from most of the plants’ heads, but some had no bristles. Carver’s goal is to create a new wheat variety.”

and

“Standing in the middle of the proverbial haystack he planted, Carver said, “There are sixty-six thousand different strains out here. I’ll pick one of them, and it will ultimately be grown on millions of acres. It’s a big responsibility.” Carver developed all the top four varieties of wheat planted in the state of Oklahoma——Duster, Endurance, Gallagher, and Ruby Lee— where farmers planted more than five million acres of wheat in 2015.”

One of the most fascinating lessons I learned was about the history of wheat.

“Even though wheat has been around since the dawn of civilization, it is actually a product of biotechnology. But, as Carver said, “Man didn’t do it. . . . God did it or nature did it, but it wasn’t man.” He added, “If I tried to do this today, I’d be labeled a mad scientist who’s creating some sort of evil genetically modified food.”

The history of wheat can be found in its DNA. Unlike humans, wheat does not have one father and mother but three fathers and three mothers. Rather than a single pairing of genes, which is what occurs in humans (a diploid), wheat has three sets of chromosomes, and each set exists as a pair—something called a hexaploid. This somewhat strange state of affairs came about when one species mated with another, and then it happened yet again. Carver explained that about 300,000 years ago one grassy weed species crossed with another—a spiky, unruly-looking plant that eventually led to the plant we call emmer. Then, about ten thousand years ago, this crossbreed mated yet again, with another grassy species, one of the many goatgrasses. The result is our modern wheat used for making bread . . . All this makes Carver’s job more complex. Whereas humans have an estimated twenty-to twenty-five thousand genes, wheat has 164,000 to 334,000 genes.”

An Unusual Proposal

A reader who read my WSJ editorial on GMO labeling emailed me the following proposal.  

“The arguments in support of mandatory labeling largely fall in the “consumers have a right to know what’s in their food” category, which in theory is hard to argue with. On the flip side, there are no proven scientific based concerns regarding GMOs in the foods we eat and this is the basis (in general) for the position for those who oppose mandatory labeling of GMOs. Therefore, the solution seems very simple: make labeling of non-GMOs mandatory. If those in support of mandatory GMO labeling truly are interested in transparency, then mandatory labeling of non-GMOs provides the same amount of transparency (if you’re only going to mandate labeling for one side of the argument, why not the non-GMO side?). In addition, this should ease the concern of those who fear that mandatory labeling of GMOs will scare the public into thinking they are unsafe. Another great aspect of this solution is the cost to implement is almost zero because the food industry, in general, already labels non-GMO products. ”

Food-Related Lawsuits of Interest

• Chipotle has been hit with a couple lawsuits, at least one of which has made it through initial phases, related to its non-GMO claims.  One suit is in California and the other in Florida.  Both claim false advertising: despite the non-GMO claims, Chipotle's meat and dairy products continue to come from animals fed GMO.

• In response to a Massachusetts ballot initiative that would change farm animal housing practices (and retailer's ability to source "caged" eggs/pork), a state farmer and a local anti-poverty activist (and SNAP recipient) have teamed up file a suit asking the courts to stop the ballot initiative. 

• A couple years ago I commented on increasing amounts of litigation over "all natural" claims on food.  Several of those suits have now settled, with the food companies agreeing to compensate the plaintiffs  (e.g., Stevia, Kashi, Crisco, and others).  Kind bars are in the midst of a legal battle on its use of the word natural.   

Kitchen of the Future

Yesterday I recorded an interview with New Hampshire public radio about my new book, and at the beginning of our segment, the host played the following clip from the Jetsons.  I told the host I don't think we're quite there yet.  By the way, I love the mom's reaction to all the "work" involved in making breakfast (the kitchen segment starts at the 1:17 mark).