Is Our Food Safe?: A Consumer's Guide to Protecting Your Health and the Environment » (1ST)

Warren Leon is executive director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and coauthor of The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices.

Caroline Smith DeWaal is director of the Food Safety Program at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The publisher of Nutrition Action Healthletter, CSPI has been working for a healthier, safer food supply since 1971.

Every day, new warnings emerge about the safety of the food in our markets, school cafeterias, and restaurants. As industry and government officials rush in with reassurances—and food alarmists call for drastic changes in the American diet—ordinary consumers are caught in the middle. Is Our Food Safe? separates the facts from the rumors and offers straightforward, reliable advice on how to protect your health and the environment without going to extremes.

Is Our Food Safe? answers common questions about the safety of meat, dairy products, fish, fruits, and other foods that make up our daily diet. It assesses the positive and negative aspects of genetically engineered foods, compares organic and conventionally produced foods, and makes recommendations about when (and if) you should choose local suppliers over industry giants. It also explains which foods to eat and which to avoid if you are concerned about clean water and air and a safe environment. Finally, it provides valuable information on how you can improve the quality of the food available in your communities, including specific issues to raise with grocers and food service providers.

Library Journal

This guide presents the facts and myths about the safety of meat, dairy, seafood, breads, pastas, fruits, vegetables, water, and other food products, whether conventional, organic, or genetically engineered, that we consume daily. Leon, executive director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and DeWaal, director of the Food Safety Program at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food industry watchdog organization, give commonsense advice on protecting oneself against illnesses caused by contaminated or spoiled food. Focusing on three issues food safety and food-borne illnesses, environmental aspects of food choices, and sound diet and nutrition the book describes the symptoms of food-borne illnesses, the dangers of exposure to bacteria, toxins, chemicals, waste products, pesticides, and other contaminants, and the way these contaminants get into our food supply. The text also explains how to avoid food hazards, what to look for when shopping, and how to cook and prepare food that's free of contaminants. Naturally occurring substances may put consumers at risk as well; to find out more, read James P. Collman's Naturally Dangerous: Surprising Facts About Food, Health, and the Environment. For basic information on food contaminants, this book is solid and well crafted. Irwin Weintraub, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.