Eat Your Heart Out by Felicity Lawrence

I read this book and it made me angry. Really, feather-spitting angry. In our so-called ‘free society' it would appear that we are not told the truth, and freedom of information only includes that which the powers-that-be allow us to know. The health of the planet's unsuspecting inhabitants is not the concern of governments, rather it is keeping big businesses happy, regardless of the impact on the environment, the planet and its population.

How they sleep at night, I will never know.

But, just in case I was going into rant mode, I asked for some other opinions and thoughts on the book.

Anne-Christine replied:

‘Chapter after chapter, it describes a food chain gone awry. It shows how literally a handful, not more, of mega transnational companies control the food industry around the globe. The system put in place by these transnational giants depends on (too) cheap labour and utter disrespect for both human and animal needs.

If you want to keep buying your cereals from supermarket shelves, don't read this book!

Eat Your Heart Out is essential reading. It wakes so much anger in my reasonable being that it might well start a revolution.'

Matt also had strong thoughts on the subject matter:

‘This is a fascinating and terrifying book on how our food industry is now past its best-before date. A small number of mega transnational companies have an unhealthy impact on people all over the world, from Western communities eating mass-produced goods (labelled as food) filled with cheap ingredients which is passed across as healthy and nutritious fare to the Third World countries whose land and lives (along with our beloved planet) are being destroyed for what appears to be that all-important extra dollar. These companies seemingly have their fingers in the pockets of the government and are powerless to stop this tide of greed.

At the moment, with the world in deep recession, could this be the trigger to end the industrial revolution and inspire an agricultural revolution?'

So it's not just me then...

Was it Steve McQueen who said ‘You can't trust no-one'? Grammatical inaccuracies aside, this sums up Felicity Lawrence's new book very well. As in her first book, the best-selling Not on the Label, the author is well researched, informative, engaging and shocking. Her books should be compulsory reading for any supermarket shopper...

Some of the information is almost laughable - read the tales of JH Kellogg and his Cornflake cure and you will see. Some of it has such terrifying connotations that you are left in no doubt that something is seriously wrong - take the story of the 2003 World Health Organisation report on the dangers of excess sugar, salt and fat for example. Briefly, WHO issued a report stating, amongst other things, that sugar consumption should be restricted to 10% of diet. Considering it is up to 20% in some countries this spelled trouble and - horror of horrors - falling profits for the sugar multinationals. So, by legal threats and government shenanigans, the report was ‘diluted' somewhat. Learning that your government is more interested in money than it is in you is hardly surprising but when the public's health is at stake it is a different matter.

In addition to the lurid dealings of the multinational firms, this book covers many other worrying areas:

• How intensive farming is catastrophic for the poor animals as well as human health and how this diseased system is spreading like a cancer from industrialised countries to unsuspecting developing ones.
• How breakfast cereals are an invention of the marketing man and you might just as well eat the box with milk poured on top.
• If we carry on over-fishing at the current rate, there will be no wild seafood left by 2050.
• What is the difference between soap and margarine? Not much!

As I neared the end of the book a slight sense of paranoia started to creep in. What could we eat? Who could we trust? But, on reflection, I was left to realise what our grandparents and generations before us knew: if you want to feed yourself and your family well and keep the planet healthy, grow it yourself. If you can't grow it yourself buy it locally and know where it comes from.

Lawrence sums it up very well in the final chapter, offering us some sprinkling of hope. It is the power of communities and groups working together that can help revert this system back to the time when we weren't headed free-fall into disaster.

She states: ‘People are now in revolt. The seeds of a global food revolution have been planted.'

Let's hope they quickly bear fruit.

Jo

A word from Brigit

'I've just read our editor's review of Felicity Lawrence's ‘Eat Your Heart Out'. Jo was concerned that her review might be perceived as a bit ‘ranty', but I think it's absolutely spot on and will hopefully prompt others to get hold of a copy and read it.

I believe passionately that we need to open our eyes to what's going on around us rather than living in ‘blissful ignorance'. Being socially, environmentally and ethically aware must surely be a better and more empowering option. Once you become aware of what's happening in the outside world it becomes impossible not to ignore it. It seems crazy to me that so many of us choose to be blind! Thank you for writing such a great review of this book Jo.

If any of our newsletter subscribers has read any life changing books recently and would like to have a go at a review we'd love to hear from you......'

Cow photo (c) Joe Napper 2009

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