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  • Book
  • © 2019

The Grand Food Bargain

and the Mindless Drive for More

Authors:

  • The most comprehensive account of the consequences of the modern food system on life, health, and the environment
  • tailored for the general reader
  • Conveys a sweeping history of our relationship with food through compelling stories.
  • The author offers unique insights from a long and varied career in food, from agribusiness to government

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Taking Stock

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. The Third Relationship

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 3-18
    3. My Food, My Way

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 19-37
  3. Forces Driving More

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 39-39
    2. More Is Never Enough

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 41-59
    3. An Infinite Supply of Finite Resources

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 61-82
    4. Expecting More, Committing Less

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 83-100
    5. Science à la Carte

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 101-121
    6. Becoming a Market Society

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 123-142
  4. Unexpected Consequences

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 143-143
    2. The World’s Safest Food

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 145-166
    3. The Perfect Formula

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 167-186
    4. Controlling Nature

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 187-207
  5. Decisions You’ll Make

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 209-209
    2. Live and Learn

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 211-230
    3. To Lead or Be Led?

      • Kevin D. Walker
      Pages 231-246
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 247-327

About this book

When it comes to food, Americans seem to have a pretty great deal. Our grocery stores are overflowing with countless varieties of convenient products. But like most bargains that are too good to be true, the modern food system relies on an illusion. It depends on endless abundance, but the planet has its limits.

Through beautifully‑told stories from around the world, Kevin Walker reveals the unintended consequences of our myopic focus on quantity over quality. By the end of the journey, we not only understand how the drive to produce ever more food became hardwired into the American psyche, but why shifting our mindset is essential.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Chemistry/Biochemistry & Molecular, Michigan State University, Mason, USA

    Kevin D. Walker

About the author

Kevin Walker is a professor at Michigan State University. Originally recruited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Walker directed a center focused on emerging issues affecting animal agriculture. He later became a Fellow with the Kellogg National Leadership Program and launched the Executive Leadership in Food Safety initiative where he proposed and developed a flagship training course with the World Trade Organization. He has also served on two Institute of Medicine National Research Council committees within the National Academies. 

Bibliographic Information