Author:
Blum, Deborah, 1954- author.
ImprintNew York : Penguin Books 2019.
Imprint2018
Descriptionxxi, 330 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm
Note:First published by Penguin Press, 2018. --Title page verso.
Note:"I wonder what's in it" -- Case of characters -- Introduction -- Part I. A chemical wilderness -- Cheated, fooled, and bamboozled -- The beef court -- What's in it? -- Only the brave -- Lessons in food poisoning -- The yellow chemist -- The jungle -- Part II. The poison trust -- Of ketchup and corn syrup -- Excuses for everything -- Of whiskey and soda -- The love microbe -- The adulteration snake -- The history of a crime -- Epilogue.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Note:"Near the end of the nineteenth century, food was increasingly dangerous- lethal, even. Milk and meat were routinely preserved with formaldehyde, and rancid butter was made edible with borax, best known as a cleaning product. Unchecked by regulation, food manufacturers put profit before the health of their customers. Then in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley was named chief chemist of the United States Department of Agriculture, and he began to campaign tirelessly for food safety and consumer protection. Deborah Blum brings to life this timeless and hugely satisfying David and Goliath tale, driving home the moral imperative of confronting corporate greed, which speaks resoundingly to the enormous social and political challenges we face today.
