Born With a Junk Food Deficiency: How Flaks, Quacks, and Hacks Pimp the Public Health

by Martha Rosenberg

This hard-hitting expose blows the lid off of everything you thought you knew about Big Pharma and Big Food. What goes on behind the scenes in these industries is more suspicious, more devious, more disreputable than you could have ever imagined. Rosenberg's message is the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries are tainting public health through marketing disguised as medical education and research, aggressive lobbying, and high-level conflicts of interest. If you're concerned about the safety of the drugs you take and the food you eat, you owe it to yourself to read this important book.Having gained the trust of more than twenty doctors, researchers, and experts who were willing to come forward and finally tell all, reporter and editorial cartoonist Rosenberg presents us with her shocking findings. Explosive material from whistle-blowers, scientists, unsealed lawsuits, and Big Pharma's and Big Food's own marketers exposes how these industries put profits before public safety and how the government puts the interests of business before the welfare of consumers, creating a double whammy that "pimps" the public health. What Rosenberg reveals about government complicity, regulatory food- and drug-safety lapses, and legislative injustices will both shock and appall.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Health, Politics

373 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2012

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was badly misled by the title and cover of this book. It LOOKED like a book on how junk food has been pushed into the American diet. The title, "Born with a Junk Food Deficiency," along with the corn chips on the cover, certainly led me to expect that the book might possibly be about, well, junk food. Not so. Half the book is a rant against pharmaceuticals, which the author (an editorial cartoonist) calls "Big Pharma" in true yellow-journalism style. Now, some of what she says is in fact worthy of consideration. Why ARE such high numbers of children, soldiers, etc. on drugs like Seroquel? That's a good topic. But the sarcasm and silliness detract from Rosenberg's argument. I had higher hopes for the "food" half of the book. Again, disappointed. It was in fact a screed against factory produced meat. Now, again, this is a topic that is worth discussion. I too have grave concerns about how we treat the animals we consume or milk. But honestly, if one were to sum up what the author APPEARS to want us to do (not take any drugs and not eat any meat or animal products) then I'm definitely puzzled by the title and cover of the book. It was not at ALL what I thought, and it was rather ham-handedly done. What on earth is a several-page rant against politicians posing for photos while hunting doing in a book on junk food???? Rather bizarre.

[Martha Burk · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my view this book is unfortunately titled, because it is an expose about both the drug industry and the corporate food industrial complex, and not at all about what we generally think of as "junk food." Its point is that the stuff we ordinarily think of as "real" food (e.g. meat, eggs, milk) is junk, in that it is drug-laced and most of the time we don't know it.

This is a good book with some real eye-opening information, containing extensive references for every chapter. It is really two books in one -- the first half is about the drug industry and how it manufactures "diseases" that match the drugs it develops, and then pushes same through aggressive advertising. The second half is about Big Food and how it is literally poisoning the American diet, with the complicity and cooperation of the U.S. government.

The author provides extensive documentation of the practices she exposes, and documents controversy around the world over U.S. food practices. She does occasionally fail to provide an ending to the story, as in a discussion about South Korea's boycott of U.S. beef and the outcome after pressure from the U.S. government. But that's a minor quibble in relation to the overall impact. You may never eat the same way again.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

613.071 OL Rosenberg 2012. Nonfiction-health ed-consumer ed.extensive reference notes.
Two parts-Big Pharma and Big Food. Chapter titles..When the Medication is Ready, the Disease (and Patients) Will Appear-or When TV Makes you sick Help my One-Year -Old has GERD. Weapons of Hormonal Therapy The War after the War: How a scandal linked drug is adding to Combat Troops' Wounds SideEffects from which there is no recovery 2 We're Drinking WhAT? tHE Cows behind the mustache The Incredible-because it's even edible egg. The Drugstore in your Meat Brave New Food: So safe it's not even labeled Pimping food

A few cartoons..A drug company is warning women not to stop taking bone drugs out of fear of fractures-or its STOCk Price will fall"

[Anne Fabing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exposes the deceptive marketing practices of the pharmaceutical and food industries. Significant side effects are intentionally hidden or downplayed in order to drive sales. Studies are paid for by the big companies like Monsanto, Merck and AstraZeneca. Then they willingly pay millions in fines knowing that they will make 10 times as much. The Beef, Dairy and Egg councils routinely misrepresent information to increase sales. Although the U.S. always carries a milk surplus, cows are given hormones to increase production, then farm subsidies pay dairy farmers to dump the surplus in order to keep prices artificially high.

[Missy Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new for me here -- 1/2 the book is about Big Pharma and the other Half is about Big Food.
I sort-of skimmed most of it as it is very dense and referential. The Big Food portion was nothing new to me and the Big Pharma -- some of it seemed overblown yet there really isn't much to spread awareness and make people think before they take a pill. I somehow wish she could have tied to two together better -- as in...eat better, feel better, take less meds. That is what sparked my interest.

[Havilah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. It just felt a little too over the top for my taste. It was as if there was a plot against us in about everything around us. I just don't like to think that way so I had to shelf this book.

[Jennifer O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. I've read a lot of similar books. Fast Food Nation comes to mind. I didn't read anything that surprised me. If you have not read much on the topic already, I'd highly recommend.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it a lot. loaded full of information to absorb. Ive been against "Big Pharma" and this book
goes into a great deal about the pills that affect our lives. The book should be renamed from
everyones mothers advice "DONT PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH"!

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started paging through this book at the library and quickly realized that I needed to read it. Not only does the author explore the meat,oil try and dairy that we eat but looks at the drugs we ingest. I was hooked from page one until the end and wanting more.

[=====D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy-duty reference source of the ways pharma and food companies create their own regulations as they poison and cheat people.

[B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Started out strong, but midway through, it just got somewhat tedious.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary!!!

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, every person who eats or drinks should read it!! Sadly its not very shocking at how the govt would rather protect big business and money then their own citizens.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit disturbing. But more enlightening than disturbing.