Food Politics, by Marion Nestle, 2002. University of California Press. Paperback.

Buying a box of Cheerios or ordering a supersize drink at McDonalds may never be the same after reading Marion Nestle’s Food Politics. You may believe that what you choose to eat is purely personal, based solely on what tastes, looks or smells good. Think again.

Nestle, a former nutrition policy advisor to the Department of Health and Human Services and currently professor of nutrition, food studies and public health and professor of sociology at New York University, believes otherwise. Her strong sociology background resonates throughout the book to help shift attention from the personal to the societal changes needed to influence food choice specifically focusing on food marketing.

She propels a fascinating yet disturbing journey into the politics of the food industry. Consumers not involved in a food-related career or business, are probably naïve to the fact that food companies are more concerned with padding their stockholder’s pockets and less concerned with the health of the public.

Consider this point:

“The overly abundant food supply, combined with a society so affluent that most people can afford to buy more food than they need, sets the stage for competition. The food industry must compete fiercely for every dollar spent on food, and food companies expend extraordinary resources to develop and market products that will sell, regardless of their effect on nutritional status or waistlines. To satisfy stockholders, food companies must convince people to eat more of their products or to eat their products instead of those of competitors. They do so through advertising and public relations, of course, but also by working tirelessly to convince government officials, nutrition professionals, and the media that their products promote health – or at least do no harm.”

Food choices may be personal, but they are heavily influenced by behind-the-scenes politics. From food lobbyists, food marketers, to financial contributors, a lot of heavy-handed big shots do their part to convince government officials, nutrition and health professionals, and ultimately you, why their food product is better to buy than another.

The book is divided into five areas: “Undermining Dietary Advice”, “Working the System”, “Exploiting Kids, Corrupting Schools”, “Deregulating Dietary Supplements”, and “Inventing Techno-Foods.” Each section extensively explores how politics has a finger in our food choices from cradle to grave.

Nestle, a true nutrition professional with a sense of humor, skillfully makes hard-to-understand material comprehensible for most average readers. Granted, some may find the book tedious and overly researched. At times, the reader may feel overwhelmed with information overkill, but this is an author who doesn’t skimp on material.

She courageously criticizes food industry mainstays from the 2005 Food Guide Pyramid, the Food and Drug Administration and the fortification of food. Tables, graphs and pictures back up her arguments.

Readers of Nestles’ other books know she is a highly opinionated, yet well-respected nutritionist and has been in the business of food for a long time. Nestles’ extensive background in nutrition policymaking and expansive knowledge on nutrition makes her someone who is regularly sought out for nutrition advice in the media.

If you are a registered dietitian, nutritionist, food scientist, or anyone whose career relates to food, you need to read this book. Developing a broader understanding of factors that drive consumers’ food choices is key to making pertinent recommendations. If you are not a nutrition professional, but have a curiosity of how the food industry works, this book will open your eyes to a clearer vision of decisions made about what we eat.

Food Politics eventually steers us in the direction of how to choose foods wisely. There are many questions we can ask ourselves regarding everything from production to marketing methods used in getting us to purchase food. Just as Nestle teaches, we can make a political statement every time we eat that can make a difference. The next time you go to a grocery store or eat at a restaurant, remember, we are still in control. Every purchase of food sends a message.

As Nestle says, “voting with our forks” is the strongest statement we send.

(Cheryl Mussatto is a registered dietitian living in Osage City. She took Food Writing as a distance student.)

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 9:09 am and is filed under Book Reviews. This entry is tagged with the following keywords: politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.