Food fray
Subtitle: inside the controversy over genetically modified food
By: Lisa H. Weasel.
Publisher: Amacom-American Management Association
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780814401644
Subjects: Genetically modified foods -- Political aspects
Description: "It started with little fanfare over a decade ago, when genetically modified foods quietly appeared on American grocery shelves. But in the years since, GM foods have sparked a global controversy and sounded alarms here at home, triggered by a multitude of unanswered questions and dubious practices, such as highly publicized cases of "biopharm" crops contaminating the food supply ... runaway commodity prices and worldwide food shortages triggered, in part, by the biofuel movement ... Europe's open hostility to GM foods and Africa's outright refusal to accept food aid containing genetically modified crops." "Combining solid scientific knowledge with a gripping narrative, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel helps readers make sense of this complex, contentious issue. Positioning itself directly at the intersection of food, politics, and technology, Food Fray captures the real-life experiences and wide-ranging perspectives of the scientists, farmers, policymakers, and grassroots activists on the front lines of this fierce debate, teasing out the hype from the reality and uncovering the very real pros and cons of genetically modified foods." "Genetically modified foods are ubiquitous in the American diet - 80 percent of all corn and 92 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. are now GM varieties. But it's a science with the potential to bring both good and harm, and an issue with no easy answers. Food Fray looks at every aspect of the debate from multiple perspectives, giving you the information you need to make up your own mind."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Food fight: the historical roots of the GM food debate; title: Out of the swamps and up from the soil: DNA at the dinner table; title: Of politics and precaution: Frankenfood frenzy in Europe; title: A kinder, gentler GM: will biotech seeds save the world?; title: Feast or famine? the politics of GM food aid in Africa; title: Our seeds know our soil: knowledge, power and resistance; title: To GM food in India; title: The scent of GM papaya: the rough road to biotech rice; title: Got hormones? engineering the nation's milk supply; title: From pharm to fuel: the future of GM food; title: Conclusion: the ongoing battle over GM food.