Frank Carlson Library

From breakfast cereal to frozen pizza to nutrition bars, processed foods are a fundamental part of our diet, accounting for 65% of our nation's yearly calories. Over the past century, technology has transformed the American meal into a chemical-laden smorgasbord of manipulated food products that bear little resemblance to what our grandparents ate. Despite the growing presence of farmers' markets and organic offerings, food additives and chemical...

Examines the fast-food industry and the changes it has made in American eating patterns while presenting a look at the modern meat-packing industry. Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but here [the author] makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit,...