Jill Richardson stands on the shoulders of Rachel Carson, Marion Nestle, Elaine Ingham, Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, and others to explain where healthy food comes from, why it's important, why our (U.S.) food system is broken, and most importantly, what we as citizen activists can do to fix it. She begins by relating life experiences that prompted her to be concerned with the current state of food in the US including the short but intense references to her late brother, Adam. The story continues to explain how her research findings compelled her to become an activist and concludes with what needs to be done to repair our situation.
Her journey winds through rural farms, farmers markets, urban sustainable restaurants, and the morass of congressional bills and initiatives. From the importance of dung beetles and healthy soil to how our children are targeted by nutrient-empty food product giants, and why the zeal for profit at any cost by the few remaining meat oligarchies continue to give us meat tainted with shit.
Without giving away the details of the book, here are some of the things I learned:
- make your local farmer's market your primary source of food; query the farmers to make sure they are practicing sustainable farming
- teach your children where food comes from, how it's grown, how it's slaughtered, and why it's important to question the "mainstream food authorities", i.e., Monsanto, Tyson, McDonalds, Mars, Coke, etc.
- how to make the best of situations when you are out of town and must shop at the market or eat at restaurants
- contrary to popular belief, slavery is still alive and well in the U.S.
- how to get involved as an activist to help fix broken, outdated and lobby-tainted legislation to create a better future for the U.S.
There are also many technical details describing E. coli, rgBH, GMO, BSE/TSE, Fish Mercury, MSRA, Food dies, ADHD, and other acronyms that we all hear but usually don't fully understand. Each chapter is also full of annotated notes and links for additional information.
Thanks to Jill Richardson for producing such an informative and inspiring book.
Darryl West, Local Green Circle, August, 2009