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Food and Crime: Theft, Poisoning and Murder for Food
Anyone alive, and wanting to stay that way, must deal with food. Crime is, and always has been, present. Food and Crime examines the crossroads of these two universal forces, how hunger can lead to theft, fraud, and murder, and how the well-fed will sometimes do anything to keep their bellies full. From the one-timers to the career caper-planners, food criminals are a wide-ranging, often audacious bunch, and this is the record of their impact, great and small.
From a war fought by the Mayor of New York over tasty thistles, to the role McDonald's plays in the American culinary conscious, to how foreign food aid abuse led to a mighty fall in the financial sector, these sixteen stories of criminals who engage with the world of cuisine, cookery, or agriculture cover food and crime from the piddliest pilfering to the most diabolical murders. Covering the period from the Ancient Greeks (who invented insurance fraud) to the effects of COVID-19 on seafood crime in the true crime capital of America - Florida, here's clear evidence that there's never been a time when food and crime were not intimately entangled. Food and Crime sheds light on the unexpected, and sometimes unbelievable, connections between two things that we can never seem to get enough of.
From a war fought by the Mayor of New York over tasty thistles, to the role McDonald's plays in the American culinary conscious, to how foreign food aid abuse led to a mighty fall in the financial sector, these sixteen stories of criminals who engage with the world of cuisine, cookery, or agriculture cover food and crime from the piddliest pilfering to the most diabolical murders. Covering the period from the Ancient Greeks (who invented insurance fraud) to the effects of COVID-19 on seafood crime in the true crime capital of America - Florida, here's clear evidence that there's never been a time when food and crime were not intimately entangled. Food and Crime sheds light on the unexpected, and sometimes unbelievable, connections between two things that we can never seem to get enough of.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 30, 2023
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 19, 2023
Chris Garcia does a deep dive into our culture and shows the relationship between Food & Crime in the well-researched and fascinating book. One of the things that I enjoyed about the book is that he lists the 4 basic causes of food crimes, and then divides the book into four individual sections to discuss each example of the crime. And what made this book even better for me to read was that under each section he has individual subsection on the specific food or crime. This allows one to read a chapter, put it down and when you pick it up you can delve into a whole new food-based crime.
From the earliest food crimes and laws, up until today we see major criminal activity that surrounds our love of food. What is the most stolen food? Cheese! And Chris gives us some amazing stories and numbers about stolen cheese including a grocery store food fight which is a cover for stealing cheese. Great storIes about Maple Syrup, Artichoke Wars, Fraudulent insurance claims, killings that relate to food, etc. This book is a feast for fans of True Crime stories, with each story having its own chapter.
Fascinating and informative, Chris Garcia does a great job taking us on a culinary journey of food and crime. I give this a 3.5 rating
From the earliest food crimes and laws, up until today we see major criminal activity that surrounds our love of food. What is the most stolen food? Cheese! And Chris gives us some amazing stories and numbers about stolen cheese including a grocery store food fight which is a cover for stealing cheese. Great storIes about Maple Syrup, Artichoke Wars, Fraudulent insurance claims, killings that relate to food, etc. This book is a feast for fans of True Crime stories, with each story having its own chapter.
Fascinating and informative, Chris Garcia does a great job taking us on a culinary journey of food and crime. I give this a 3.5 rating
2023
October 13, 2025Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword True Crime
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword True Crime
September 21, 2023
What a fabulously fun book this was!
So many fascinating tales to pique your interest.
I learned so much - and it was endlessly entertaining.
Very readable style and chock full of fun!
So many fascinating tales to pique your interest.
I learned so much - and it was endlessly entertaining.
Very readable style and chock full of fun!
June 22, 2023
Never in 1 million years would I have thought soy beans and vegetable oil and even cheese would be at the heart of a multi million dollar theft crime syndicate but the further you read “food and crime” by Chris Garcia The more you see the different ways people try to scheme scam and make money off of illegal food there’s even been a murder or two and Chris Garcia covers it all I have been reading some really great books and feel fortunate I can be an early reader but never more than when I get a great True Crime book like this one it not only is eye-opening it is OMG good because wow who would’ve even thought and the answer is Chris Garcia because he wrote a whole book on it and it’s a book I highly recommend. If you think eating a grape in the grocery store is as bad as it gets you have no idea I thoroughly enjoyed this book a total five star read. I received this book from NetGalley and Pin and Sword Crime but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review
May 11, 2023
*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's copy from NetGalley.
When you think about food, crime isn't probably the first thing that comes to mind. But should it really be that surprising that there is a lot of crime associated with food? It's something we all need, something that not everyone can afford, and on the other side of that spectrum, a resource that can be exploited.
This book looks at four types of food-related crime: theft, fraud, murder, and organized crime. Each section has its own dedicated chapter with sub-chapters covering different famous stories or types of the particular crime. A lot of it was information I didn't know. Who would ever expect artichokes to be part of organized crime, or that cheese is the most stolen food item (ok, that one I kind of get, I love cheese).
The text is informative but relatable, and easy to read in a narrative sense. Which was great, as non-fiction historical subjects can get dry if not careful. I appreciated some of the novel stories in here, particularly the murder section, because I learned not only more about food itself, but also a history of mass shootings, which is highly relevant in our environment now sadly.
This is a good one to read if you like non-fiction food-related subjects!
Review by M. Reynard 2023
When you think about food, crime isn't probably the first thing that comes to mind. But should it really be that surprising that there is a lot of crime associated with food? It's something we all need, something that not everyone can afford, and on the other side of that spectrum, a resource that can be exploited.
This book looks at four types of food-related crime: theft, fraud, murder, and organized crime. Each section has its own dedicated chapter with sub-chapters covering different famous stories or types of the particular crime. A lot of it was information I didn't know. Who would ever expect artichokes to be part of organized crime, or that cheese is the most stolen food item (ok, that one I kind of get, I love cheese).
The text is informative but relatable, and easy to read in a narrative sense. Which was great, as non-fiction historical subjects can get dry if not careful. I appreciated some of the novel stories in here, particularly the murder section, because I learned not only more about food itself, but also a history of mass shootings, which is highly relevant in our environment now sadly.
This is a good one to read if you like non-fiction food-related subjects!
Review by M. Reynard 2023
May 10, 2023
Books like this are either dry and academic, or they’re a lot of fun and you learn interesting things in a great way. This one is the latter.
This was a great read, full of crazy stories and factoids that I couldn’t stop telling people about. It was well written, with the only problem I saw was the switching between euros, pounds, and dollars with no real pattern.
Read it, love it, and be prepared to buy a bunch for Christmas gifts!!
This was a great read, full of crazy stories and factoids that I couldn’t stop telling people about. It was well written, with the only problem I saw was the switching between euros, pounds, and dollars with no real pattern.
Read it, love it, and be prepared to buy a bunch for Christmas gifts!!
April 20, 2023
Synopsis: (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review)
*********************************************************
Anyone alive, and wanting to stay that way, must deal with food. Crime is and always has been, present. Food and Crime examines the crossroads of these two universal forces, how hunger can lead to theft, fraud, and murder, and how the well-fed will sometimes do anything to keep their bellies full. From the one-timers to the career caper-planners, food criminals are a wide-ranging, often audacious bunch, and this is the record of their impact, great and small.
From a war fought by the Mayor of New York over tasty thistles to the role McDonald's plays in the American culinary consciousness, to how foreign food aid abuse led to a mighty fall in the financial sector, these sixteen stories of criminals who engage with the world of cuisine, cookery, or agriculture cover food and crime from the piddliest pilfering to the most diabolical murders. Covering the period from the Ancient Greeks (who invented insurance fraud) to the effects of COVID-19 on seafood crime in the true crime capital of America - Florida, here's clear evidence that there's never been a time when food and crime were not intimately entangled. Food and Crime sheds light on the unexpected, and sometimes unbelievable, connections between two things that we can never seem to get enough of.
This book was fascinating and the stories covered the historical gamut of how food leads to crime. And these are some darn interesting crimes. We all need food, which is why people with eating disorders struggle to quit more than those trying to quit smoking as no one needs a ciggie to survive! Well crafted and interesting to read, I will recommend it to my foodies, crime fanatics and others who are in search of a good read!
P.S. DId you know that the great maple syrup heist is going to be a series on Amazon Prime starring the divine Jamie Lee Curtis?? Now that was an interesting food crime.
*********************************************************
Anyone alive, and wanting to stay that way, must deal with food. Crime is and always has been, present. Food and Crime examines the crossroads of these two universal forces, how hunger can lead to theft, fraud, and murder, and how the well-fed will sometimes do anything to keep their bellies full. From the one-timers to the career caper-planners, food criminals are a wide-ranging, often audacious bunch, and this is the record of their impact, great and small.
From a war fought by the Mayor of New York over tasty thistles to the role McDonald's plays in the American culinary consciousness, to how foreign food aid abuse led to a mighty fall in the financial sector, these sixteen stories of criminals who engage with the world of cuisine, cookery, or agriculture cover food and crime from the piddliest pilfering to the most diabolical murders. Covering the period from the Ancient Greeks (who invented insurance fraud) to the effects of COVID-19 on seafood crime in the true crime capital of America - Florida, here's clear evidence that there's never been a time when food and crime were not intimately entangled. Food and Crime sheds light on the unexpected, and sometimes unbelievable, connections between two things that we can never seem to get enough of.
This book was fascinating and the stories covered the historical gamut of how food leads to crime. And these are some darn interesting crimes. We all need food, which is why people with eating disorders struggle to quit more than those trying to quit smoking as no one needs a ciggie to survive! Well crafted and interesting to read, I will recommend it to my foodies, crime fanatics and others who are in search of a good read!
P.S. DId you know that the great maple syrup heist is going to be a series on Amazon Prime starring the divine Jamie Lee Curtis?? Now that was an interesting food crime.
June 10, 2023
From Day 1, we have always needed food for sustenance and since the beginning there has been crime. The compelling pairing comes together in Food and Crime by Chris Garcia who discusses food crimes of various sorts from Greek times to the present. Food crimes can be categorized by theft, fraud, coercion and assault. Romans likely used ground marble to add volume to wheat in bread. Greeks almost certainly had freeloaders in restaurants. Escoffier himself took kickbacks. In the modern day, we commit equally deceitful food crimes such as falsifying wine labels or hijacking shellfish. Cheese and maple syrup stealing is a serious problem from incidental theft or organized theft, employee theft and supplier theft. The rouses shoppers and employees think up can be ingenious, unfortunately. This book is a cornucopia of fascinating tidbits to chew on. Some stories are witty, others thought provoking and still others tragic.
Wow, the amount of information to mull over is amazing such as the CRAVED model, trucker scams, skimming off the tops of ships, Some tragic crimes are accidental such as the humbugs and molasses incidents. Food theft is even more rife and far-reaching than I thought. Technically, munching on a few grapes in the produce section is theft.
I appreciate that topics such as food taboos, discovering unpleasant additions to food dishes, assault (slavery, human trafficking, abuse amongst employees in restaurants) are mentioned, too. Cannibalism and murder are also discussed plus so much more. Hungry for more? Go ahead and devour Food and Crime.
My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this wickedly delectable book.
Wow, the amount of information to mull over is amazing such as the CRAVED model, trucker scams, skimming off the tops of ships, Some tragic crimes are accidental such as the humbugs and molasses incidents. Food theft is even more rife and far-reaching than I thought. Technically, munching on a few grapes in the produce section is theft.
I appreciate that topics such as food taboos, discovering unpleasant additions to food dishes, assault (slavery, human trafficking, abuse amongst employees in restaurants) are mentioned, too. Cannibalism and murder are also discussed plus so much more. Hungry for more? Go ahead and devour Food and Crime.
My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this wickedly delectable book.
June 20, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword True Crime for the opportunity to access a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about "what's written on the tin" - aka crime stories that are centered around food, from really heinous ones like fast food joint mass shootings to the ultimate Hansel & Gretel sexual fantasy (aka cannibalism) to "victimless" crimes like dining and dashing, fudging the numbers/volume or the origins of a product. The writing style is quite engaging. I can tell that Chris Garcia is very enthousiastic and can really weave an interesting story. 3.33*= GOOD!
I would agree with other reviewers who said that the book is not stuffy, dry, boring - BUT in my opinion the readability came at a cost:
-->There are sources cited in the back, but I really don't think there was enough rigor or that there were enough sources for the amount of information provided in the book. (and no footnotes :(==)
-->there are stories or factoids that are really interesting but don't actually fit the chapter heading or just take you down such a deep rabbit hole that when the other bops on to another topic you're left thinking WTF just happened?!
-->there's a lot of (pardon the pun) meat for some topics but very little for others, so it can seem a bit uneven and frustrating especially when you've gone really in depth on something and then you think the next one will get the same level of detail but it doesn't. As an example, one chapter moved from a deep dive into tea production, casually mentions the nutmeg trade and then on to another topic.
+some wrong words/typos but it's a smaller publishing house and this was an advance copy so I didn't reduce my rating for that.
This book is about "what's written on the tin" - aka crime stories that are centered around food, from really heinous ones like fast food joint mass shootings to the ultimate Hansel & Gretel sexual fantasy (aka cannibalism) to "victimless" crimes like dining and dashing, fudging the numbers/volume or the origins of a product. The writing style is quite engaging. I can tell that Chris Garcia is very enthousiastic and can really weave an interesting story. 3.33*= GOOD!
I would agree with other reviewers who said that the book is not stuffy, dry, boring - BUT in my opinion the readability came at a cost:
-->There are sources cited in the back, but I really don't think there was enough rigor or that there were enough sources for the amount of information provided in the book. (and no footnotes :(==)
-->there are stories or factoids that are really interesting but don't actually fit the chapter heading or just take you down such a deep rabbit hole that when the other bops on to another topic you're left thinking WTF just happened?!
-->there's a lot of (pardon the pun) meat for some topics but very little for others, so it can seem a bit uneven and frustrating especially when you've gone really in depth on something and then you think the next one will get the same level of detail but it doesn't. As an example, one chapter moved from a deep dive into tea production, casually mentions the nutmeg trade and then on to another topic.
+some wrong words/typos but it's a smaller publishing house and this was an advance copy so I didn't reduce my rating for that.
December 6, 2023
Food and Crime is packed with information and detail, but Chris Garcia manages to keep the tone light as a fine soufflé served at The Savoy, an establishment which he discusses in my favorite chapter “Fraud”. Garcia provides colorful anecdotes and charming asides that bring the historical characters to life. If you have any interest in true crime, the food industry or a good yarn, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
June 25, 2023
This is a fascinating book full of stories about why people steal food. There are many different stories and each comes from a different perspective. Food is something we all require and there will always be a market for the goods. This was very well written.
June 26, 2023
The author definitely has a way of writing that keeps you interested. There was so much that I didn’t know, or hadn’t thought of, before reading this book. I fell down many a rabbit hole researching the stories.
June 30, 2023
This is simply fascinating. The author brings to life a number of cases which have links to the culinary world and it is an amazing perspective that I never would have thought of before. Well written and researched, this is an out of the square true crime book which is a must read.
January 10, 2025
I enjoy true crime, and I was intrigued at how this book would go together - it’s not a usual pairing! I was enthralled when I started reading. There’s so many interesting historical tidbits that I knew nothing about, the most fascinating one for me being The Artichoke Wars.
I liked how it was set out with the headings, and I thought it had a nice and coherent flow. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s looking for true crime with a few less dead bodies or who want something a little bit different.
I liked how it was set out with the headings, and I thought it had a nice and coherent flow. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s looking for true crime with a few less dead bodies or who want something a little bit different.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews