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Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley's Mission to Change What We Eat
The full inside story of the technology paradigm shift transforming the food we eat and who is making it
Ultra-processed and secretly produced foods are roaring back into vogue, cheered by consumers and investors because they are plant-based—often vegan—and help address societal issues. And as our food system leaps ahead to a sterilized lab of the future, we think we know more about our food than we ever did, but because so much is happening so rapidly, we actually know less. In Technically Food, investigative reporter Larissa Zimberoff pokes holes in the marketing mania behind today’s changing food landscape and clearly shows the trade-offs of replacing real food with technology-driven approximations with news-breaking revelations.
Ultra-processed and secretly produced foods are roaring back into vogue, cheered by consumers and investors because they are plant-based—often vegan—and help address societal issues. And as our food system leaps ahead to a sterilized lab of the future, we think we know more about our food than we ever did, but because so much is happening so rapidly, we actually know less. In Technically Food, investigative reporter Larissa Zimberoff pokes holes in the marketing mania behind today’s changing food landscape and clearly shows the trade-offs of replacing real food with technology-driven approximations with news-breaking revelations.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 8, 2021
The font, lay out and the language particularly in the opening chapters, give this quite a science heavy slant at times (which I suppose is to be expected considering the title). I have to say I thought the first couple of chapters were the worst in the book and made for a really bad start.
There seemed to be no spark about this and the tone had a dry and detached feel, at times this felt like an extended article in a science based consumer magazine with some padding thrown in to boost the lowly page count, with some product placement too.
Overall I don’t think this book had a clear agenda, it didn’t really seem to answer the questions it posed and so had a bit of an uneven quality to it, I think it could have been more clear and focused and in the end it didn’t really offer up any convincing or solid conclusions.
May 2, 2021
I usually really love books about food. I have so many and I find them so fascinating. I really wanted to enjoy this book as well but sadly I just couldn't. It was interesting for sure but it was just so dry. I felt like I was reading a text book. I felt like I was doing nothing but reading dry fact after dry fact. I know it can be hard to make books like this interesting but I felt like they didn't even try. Maybe I was just not the target audience for this book.
July 31, 2021
This book puts forth the interesting proposition that all of the new high tech foods that are being developed under the banner of helping the environment and making us more healthy are often just another form of highly processed pseudo food that may be no better for our bodies or our planet than a Dorito. The book gives us a grand tour of all of the different kinds of high tech health foods from algae, fungus and soy derivatives to artificial milk, Impossible Burgers, Beyond Meat and cultured meat. It also covers topics such as vertical farms and recycling of waste food. Sometimes the ingredients are suspect. Sometimes these products are too expensive and can't scale. Sometimes things that are good ideas on a small scale may have hygiene risks and environmental damage when scaled up to mass production, so that what seemed like a promise of progress may become a curse. And in every case there is a doubt as to whether these products really are nutritionally equivalent to natural foods, which have qualities that may never be matched by a brew of isolated and purified proteins supplemented with vitamins and minerals. It does make you pause. Maybe we are better served by just trying reduce the impact of industrial farming and rejiggering our diets to cut back on meat without eliminating it. But I think that the right takeaway from this book is not that high tech foods are bad, just that they are not the Holy Grail and that we need to proceed with caution, not counting on them replace our current foods but only to supplement them.
May 11, 2021
„Don’t Eat Anything Your Great Grandmother Wouldn’t Recognize as Food”, Michael Pollan famously wrote in his Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Well, when it comes to the New Food, it can be a challenge. There is a booming industry of laboratory created meals and while many of them are tempting for vegetarians and people who want to eat less meat, there is a concern whether they are good for us.
This is a starting point for this interesting book. The author takes us on a mind blowing tour of the food tech. She is a perfect guide, as both a journalist covering this topic for years and a type 1 diabetic, which means that her attitude towards food is much more inquisitive than that of most consumers. While very well written, the book can be sometimes a little chaotic, nonetheless it gives you not only a good overview of the latest innovations in this field but also tries to find answers to the questions of sustainability and wholesomeness of these new products. In most cases the answer is: it’s too early to say.
Recommended to readers of Michael Pollan and anyone interested in the food industry.
Thanks to the publisher, Abrams Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
This is a starting point for this interesting book. The author takes us on a mind blowing tour of the food tech. She is a perfect guide, as both a journalist covering this topic for years and a type 1 diabetic, which means that her attitude towards food is much more inquisitive than that of most consumers. While very well written, the book can be sometimes a little chaotic, nonetheless it gives you not only a good overview of the latest innovations in this field but also tries to find answers to the questions of sustainability and wholesomeness of these new products. In most cases the answer is: it’s too early to say.
Recommended to readers of Michael Pollan and anyone interested in the food industry.
Thanks to the publisher, Abrams Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
August 16, 2021
One of my favorite books is "The Omnivore's Dilemma " by Michael Pollan. In fact, I believe it has affected my day to day lifestyle and philosophy more than any other book.
"Technically Food" by Larissa Zimberoff tells the story of the Flip side of the coin: cultured meats, plant-based foods, and producing food to feed the masses without doing further damage to our planet and our conscience.
Unfortunately, this generally isn't the kind of stuff you can tinker with in your garage. The development of these advanced food products requires millions in investment dollars. Thus the innovator can't just come up with a great idea. You have do drum up funding from shrewd investors and present a creditable argument of why the products will be commercially successful.
The idea of lab grown meat has always fascinated me. I am not necessarily opposed to killing animals for meat, or exploiting them for eggs or dairy products, but the cruelty built into the large scale operations (and the vast majority of grocery store food is factory farmed) is morally repugnant, not to speak of the effects on our bodies of the antibiotics and crappy diet these wretched souls are fed.
After the big news came out about the miracles of stem cells, I came up with the idea of growing meat in vitro, which promptly reinforced the views of most of my acquaintances that, yes, that woman is a crackpot. In Zimberoff's book I was most pleased to read that
"Sir Winston predicted in 1931 the same thing I said in about 1980:
"...he imagined a time to come when we didn't raise 'the absurdity of a whole chicken' but simply the cuts we wanted--breast, leg, thigh--by 'growing them separately in a suitable medium.' He also, correctly, projected that 'microbes would be made to work under controlled conditions ' just like yeast. His 50 year projection took 80 years to become reality. "
Ha. Great minds think alike.
And now we have scientists growing meat in labs. Meat that reportedly tastes very very much like chicken or beef or whatever cells they've grown. At this point it's not commercially viable; a small portion of meat costs like $20,000. But as with solar panels and battery powered cars and computers and cell phones, this price will come down (hopefully) to where we peasants can routinely dine on this stuff.
For some reason people irrationally turn their noses up at the idea of meat grown in a lab. It rather amazes me that the people dont flinch at the idea of production line slaughterhouses wherein occasionally, whoops, somebody gets submerged in scalding water or disemboweled before they're actually dead, because the line cant stop, and we have to have our cheap food.
The author admits that she is more concerned with the health aspect of food, and that's important too of course, as is the effects of production on a planet we are outgrowing and decimating far too fast. And of course economics--affordability and profitability--cannot be ignored.
"Technically Food" addresses all these issues in a surprisingly concise (about 200 pages) summary. I believe the author is a journalist and I am particularly fond of books by journalists. They dont generally waste their readers' time.
Final quote from the book, which I love:
"I want to see countertop meat makers in the same way you go to a friend's house and see a bread maker or ice cream maker and it's not remarkable. You'd order tea bags of stem cells and drop them in and make meat. The same way people take weeks to brew beer at home...Another idea that I like to think about is similar to a local bar brewing their own IPA. What if they brew their own meat, and the pig is in the backyard, and you can tip your hat to the pig and eat pulled pork without harming the pig?"
--Paul Shapiro, author of "Clean Meat " and CEO of the Better Meat Co.
Highly recommended for anyone who eats.
"Technically Food" by Larissa Zimberoff tells the story of the Flip side of the coin: cultured meats, plant-based foods, and producing food to feed the masses without doing further damage to our planet and our conscience.
Unfortunately, this generally isn't the kind of stuff you can tinker with in your garage. The development of these advanced food products requires millions in investment dollars. Thus the innovator can't just come up with a great idea. You have do drum up funding from shrewd investors and present a creditable argument of why the products will be commercially successful.
The idea of lab grown meat has always fascinated me. I am not necessarily opposed to killing animals for meat, or exploiting them for eggs or dairy products, but the cruelty built into the large scale operations (and the vast majority of grocery store food is factory farmed) is morally repugnant, not to speak of the effects on our bodies of the antibiotics and crappy diet these wretched souls are fed.
After the big news came out about the miracles of stem cells, I came up with the idea of growing meat in vitro, which promptly reinforced the views of most of my acquaintances that, yes, that woman is a crackpot. In Zimberoff's book I was most pleased to read that
"Sir Winston predicted in 1931 the same thing I said in about 1980:
"...he imagined a time to come when we didn't raise 'the absurdity of a whole chicken' but simply the cuts we wanted--breast, leg, thigh--by 'growing them separately in a suitable medium.' He also, correctly, projected that 'microbes would be made to work under controlled conditions ' just like yeast. His 50 year projection took 80 years to become reality. "
Ha. Great minds think alike.
And now we have scientists growing meat in labs. Meat that reportedly tastes very very much like chicken or beef or whatever cells they've grown. At this point it's not commercially viable; a small portion of meat costs like $20,000. But as with solar panels and battery powered cars and computers and cell phones, this price will come down (hopefully) to where we peasants can routinely dine on this stuff.
For some reason people irrationally turn their noses up at the idea of meat grown in a lab. It rather amazes me that the people dont flinch at the idea of production line slaughterhouses wherein occasionally, whoops, somebody gets submerged in scalding water or disemboweled before they're actually dead, because the line cant stop, and we have to have our cheap food.
The author admits that she is more concerned with the health aspect of food, and that's important too of course, as is the effects of production on a planet we are outgrowing and decimating far too fast. And of course economics--affordability and profitability--cannot be ignored.
"Technically Food" addresses all these issues in a surprisingly concise (about 200 pages) summary. I believe the author is a journalist and I am particularly fond of books by journalists. They dont generally waste their readers' time.
Final quote from the book, which I love:
"I want to see countertop meat makers in the same way you go to a friend's house and see a bread maker or ice cream maker and it's not remarkable. You'd order tea bags of stem cells and drop them in and make meat. The same way people take weeks to brew beer at home...Another idea that I like to think about is similar to a local bar brewing their own IPA. What if they brew their own meat, and the pig is in the backyard, and you can tip your hat to the pig and eat pulled pork without harming the pig?"
--Paul Shapiro, author of "Clean Meat " and CEO of the Better Meat Co.
Highly recommended for anyone who eats.
December 12, 2021
What will we be eating 20 years from now, in 2041? As the planet faces dramatic climate changes fueled by our current food habits and the world population continues to expand, something will have to change. Right now, big companies are trying to invent the future of food. Zimberoff looks into what this looks like -- companies trying to make food out of alternatives like fungi, algae, meat cells and pea proteins. What she finds is that these big companies are falling into the same traps as big legacy food companies. Don't let the phrase "plant-based" fool you. Despite the connotations that come with plants, products like the Impossible Burger are highly processed, and have questionable nutritional value. Companies are defaulting to saying they can't reveal its "secret sauce" instead of being transparent about how their food is made. There is little regulation to keep meat and plant-based food nutritional. Zimberoff also explores the possibilities of food growing in vertical farms, catered by robots without soil. But she makes an interesting point — plants that aren't grown in soil lose nutritional value. The microbes in soil turn out to be really important, something scientists don't quite understand yet. That's to say, we can't just turn to labs for the future of our food. There has to be balance, accountability and transparency with the people who are developing these foods. This book is packed with information, and it's not always the easiest to read. That has something to do with the font and the small text. It is really informative though. And if you want to know more about future of food and the companies behind making it, you should check this book out.
August 28, 2021
I loved this witty and thought provoking book on what food technology is starting to offer us. I've eaten Impossible Burgers but hadn't considered how processed they are.
Ms Zimberoff takes the lid off all the different approaches that technology is enabling as new food sources and deftly decodes what it means for the consumer & the environment. I found it immensely helpful and learnt many new things.
As an innovative twist Ms Zimberoff ends the book with future forecasts from 20 different food insiders. This book has provoked many passionate discussions and I look forward to her next book eagerly.
Confession: I loved this so much I also got the audible. In narration Ms Zimberoff has a natural, clear diction and she pulls you into the story without being overly dramatic. She also times and delivers the witty jokes in the book so well. A very accomplished job!
Ms Zimberoff takes the lid off all the different approaches that technology is enabling as new food sources and deftly decodes what it means for the consumer & the environment. I found it immensely helpful and learnt many new things.
As an innovative twist Ms Zimberoff ends the book with future forecasts from 20 different food insiders. This book has provoked many passionate discussions and I look forward to her next book eagerly.
Confession: I loved this so much I also got the audible. In narration Ms Zimberoff has a natural, clear diction and she pulls you into the story without being overly dramatic. She also times and delivers the witty jokes in the book so well. A very accomplished job!
May 10, 2021
A BIG THANK YOU to Abrams Press for the ARC of Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat by Larissa Zimberoff, scheduled to be published on June 1, 2021. Technically Food provides a comprehensive survey of the foods and food companies at the forefront of the tech-driven food industry, underscoring the disconnect between the average consumer and their consumption. Although mass-produced plant-based products are marketed as the answer to addressing societal issues like climate change, animal rights, and our planet’s dwindling natural resources, Zimberoff points out the need for further questions and industry transparency. The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the ways in which industrializing livestock production industrializes the pathogens that circulate among them. It quickly becomes apparent that a consolidated, corporate-controlled system is not a sustainable solution in the meat industry or the plant-based meat industry. In this way, Technically Food asks a poignant question: When we envision the future of meat, what should we envision?
From the publisher: The full inside story of the technology paradigm shift transforming the food we eat and who is making it. Ultra-processed and secretly produced foods are roaring back into vogue, cheered by consumers and investors because they are plant-based—often vegan—and help address societal issues. And as our food system leaps ahead to a sterilized lab of the future, we think we know more about our food than we ever did, but because so much is happening so rapidly, we actually know less. In Technically Food, investigative reporter Larissa Zimberoff pokes holes in the marketing mania behind today’s changing food landscape and clearly shows the trade-offs of replacing real food with technology-driven approximations with news-breaking revelations.
★★★★★
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 1 June 2021
#Technically Food #NetGalley
The life-altering challenges that the coronavirus pandemic wrought—fewer trips to the market, out-of-stock-items, more home cooking—might point us to prioritizing an end or reduction in eating animals raised in industrialized feedlots. But this also depends on our encroachment on wild spaces to raise more animal meat for human consumption. It speaks to creating a world that no longer spreads into every nook and cranny of Mother Nature. When there's another pandemic, what will our food look like and who will be in the position to make choices? But industrial agriculture is a highly efficient way to feed our world; it's the devil we know. Can we leave it undomesticated or, better yet, return great swaths of land to its former glory? Can we feed more people on less land? Chef Sean Sherman, aka the Sioux Chef, votes strongly for learning the lessons of his ancestors, people with thousands of years of ecological knowledge. "We can produce more food if we landscape for it like indigenous communities."
From the publisher: The full inside story of the technology paradigm shift transforming the food we eat and who is making it. Ultra-processed and secretly produced foods are roaring back into vogue, cheered by consumers and investors because they are plant-based—often vegan—and help address societal issues. And as our food system leaps ahead to a sterilized lab of the future, we think we know more about our food than we ever did, but because so much is happening so rapidly, we actually know less. In Technically Food, investigative reporter Larissa Zimberoff pokes holes in the marketing mania behind today’s changing food landscape and clearly shows the trade-offs of replacing real food with technology-driven approximations with news-breaking revelations.
★★★★★
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 1 June 2021
#Technically Food #NetGalley
October 3, 2022
3.5⭐️/5⭐️
聽了 @onthetable.podcast 的推薦後去圖書館借了這本書來看，雖然我覺得有些訪談內容或是技術解說有一些冗長，但大致來說，是一本讓我有所學習的書。最近麥當勞、Louisa、IKEA、甚至超市各個冰櫃都可以看到「植物肉」的蹤影，但我對科技食物的背景與發展實在不甚瞭解。蠻感謝這本書不帶明顯立場的帶我認識各種未來食物，也提供很明確的歷史脈絡與詳細的現有資料讓讀者自行分析並做出購買與實用的選擇。以下紀錄幾則我有很共鳴/很震撼（覺得當頭棒喝）的文字：
- 對新創食品公司來說，價格是最後的阻礙，在產品價格能讓更多消費者族群接受，並為世界各地的消費者提供更多選擇及口味前，未來食物仍是屬於花得起閒錢的菁英專利，用來滿足他們對未來的好奇心，並點綴他們的道德光環。
- 環境控制的可能性，確實將頂級的溫室食物生產提升到和工業相提並論的層次，但這並不代表問題都已經解決了，根本還差得遠。雖然某些和天氣相關的不確定因素可以減少，卻只是遭其他因素取代，包括經濟上的不確定性激增、高昂的營運成本、無法預期的市場。問題根本沒有減少，只是換個方式出現而已。
- 矽谷很容易就受機器人和演算法吸引，但他們什麼時候才會把注意力放到人跟土地身上？
- 拯救地球，停止屠殺動物，幫已經很有錢的投資人賺更多錢，在這些事情的交會處，我們還要好好照顧自己。
- 食物的未來是對階級和財富分配的重新思考與想像
聽了 @onthetable.podcast 的推薦後去圖書館借了這本書來看，雖然我覺得有些訪談內容或是技術解說有一些冗長，但大致來說，是一本讓我有所學習的書。最近麥當勞、Louisa、IKEA、甚至超市各個冰櫃都可以看到「植物肉」的蹤影，但我對科技食物的背景與發展實在不甚瞭解。蠻感謝這本書不帶明顯立場的帶我認識各種未來食物，也提供很明確的歷史脈絡與詳細的現有資料讓讀者自行分析並做出購買與實用的選擇。以下紀錄幾則我有很共鳴/很震撼（覺得當頭棒喝）的文字：
- 對新創食品公司來說，價格是最後的阻礙，在產品價格能讓更多消費者族群接受，並為世界各地的消費者提供更多選擇及口味前，未來食物仍是屬於花得起閒錢的菁英專利，用來滿足他們對未來的好奇心，並點綴他們的道德光環。
- 環境控制的可能性，確實將頂級的溫室食物生產提升到和工業相提並論的層次，但這並不代表問題都已經解決了，根本還差得遠。雖然某些和天氣相關的不確定因素可以減少，卻只是遭其他因素取代，包括經濟上的不確定性激增、高昂的營運成本、無法預期的市場。問題根本沒有減少，只是換個方式出現而已。
- 矽谷很容易就受機器人和演算法吸引，但他們什麼時候才會把注意力放到人跟土地身上？
- 拯救地球，停止屠殺動物，幫已經很有錢的投資人賺更多錢，在這些事情的交會處，我們還要好好照顧自己。
- 食物的未來是對階級和財富分配的重新思考與想像
July 23, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up
Pretty comprehensive book about the range of future foods being developed in mostly the US. I learned a lot but it was a bit dense. I wish the author had included more references (for example, she states that 36% of the world eats one fast food meal a day and when I looked it up it was Americans not the world).
Pretty comprehensive book about the range of future foods being developed in mostly the US. I learned a lot but it was a bit dense. I wish the author had included more references (for example, she states that 36% of the world eats one fast food meal a day and when I looked it up it was Americans not the world).
August 31, 2021
I think "Technically Food" would be a good primer for anyone starting interested in food tech and its hyped-up conflict with established food industries. It is dry, the writing left a lot to be wished for. But, I haven't read or seen anything else that covers as wide of an array of companies or technologies - which is particularly impressive considering the books (lack of) length! - so for that alone it would be worth reading.
Zimberoff also mostly manages to remain in the middle on the products; she doesn't heedlessly buy into neither the hype of the food tech representatives, nor the misinformation of established food producers. Too many other works covering food tech are either thinly veiled hero profiles or straight up hit jobs. Sadly, the times she fails this standard of neutrality, she does so spectacularly... and shamelessly plugs products and producers she likes.
The book does an amazing job in showing how the new food producers are kinda following in the footsteps of the old ones. Secrecy, questionable nutritional and health claims, and industry- or company funded research are endemic in both places. Similarly, they too, de facto, promote food inequalities, as well as the SAD (Standard American Diet) food habits that are huge drivers behind obesity and all kinds of diet-related - and preventable - health issues.
I think this is incredibly important. In the rush to eat better for the planet and the animals, too many of us are forgetting that those aren't the only problems surrounding the food system today. I applaud Zimberoff for illuminating this!
Additionally, and almost as laudable, she argues for critical thinking when it comes to things like how good some of the new food products really are for the environment. This is another area I think is being neglected on the activist side of the spectrum. Yes, no one questions that the meat, dairy, and egg industries are kinda shit (ok, well, some do, but you know what I mean...). However, that doesn't mean that anything and everything that challenges them are good for the environment - sometimes they might actually be worse, particularly in the long run.
(Pretty much the same goes for the health arguments, but I think that is more accepted)
As always, there are a lot of things that could be added to both the book and this review/comment, but I leave that to be discovered... by you?
"Technically Food" is definitely recommended reading for every nutrition-label-reader out there!
Zimberoff also mostly manages to remain in the middle on the products; she doesn't heedlessly buy into neither the hype of the food tech representatives, nor the misinformation of established food producers. Too many other works covering food tech are either thinly veiled hero profiles or straight up hit jobs. Sadly, the times she fails this standard of neutrality, she does so spectacularly... and shamelessly plugs products and producers she likes.
The book does an amazing job in showing how the new food producers are kinda following in the footsteps of the old ones. Secrecy, questionable nutritional and health claims, and industry- or company funded research are endemic in both places. Similarly, they too, de facto, promote food inequalities, as well as the SAD (Standard American Diet) food habits that are huge drivers behind obesity and all kinds of diet-related - and preventable - health issues.
I think this is incredibly important. In the rush to eat better for the planet and the animals, too many of us are forgetting that those aren't the only problems surrounding the food system today. I applaud Zimberoff for illuminating this!
Additionally, and almost as laudable, she argues for critical thinking when it comes to things like how good some of the new food products really are for the environment. This is another area I think is being neglected on the activist side of the spectrum. Yes, no one questions that the meat, dairy, and egg industries are kinda shit (ok, well, some do, but you know what I mean...). However, that doesn't mean that anything and everything that challenges them are good for the environment - sometimes they might actually be worse, particularly in the long run.
(Pretty much the same goes for the health arguments, but I think that is more accepted)
As always, there are a lot of things that could be added to both the book and this review/comment, but I leave that to be discovered... by you?
"Technically Food" is definitely recommended reading for every nutrition-label-reader out there!
January 21, 2022
This is a glimpse into the future of food to open the eyes of the consumer. It is in the hands of the consumer now to show what they want through their purchase choices.
I listened to the audiobook version of this on Audible. It felt as if I were doing a group project in school and Larissa was my partner sharing her side of the research. While I would have started with a different chapter than seaweed... I pushed through and I am glad I did. Each chapter is like a new topic of the general assignment. She is a journalist so yes, it does have a textbook/science feel to it. I am also a diabetic that reads food labels more in depth than most. She showed that there is a side to the food industry that should be scrutinized more than it is.
I listened to the audiobook version of this on Audible. It felt as if I were doing a group project in school and Larissa was my partner sharing her side of the research. While I would have started with a different chapter than seaweed... I pushed through and I am glad I did. Each chapter is like a new topic of the general assignment. She is a journalist so yes, it does have a textbook/science feel to it. I am also a diabetic that reads food labels more in depth than most. She showed that there is a side to the food industry that should be scrutinized more than it is.
November 1, 2022
Interesting research. Really appreciate an insight into this new industry. Thoroughness, ingenuity, persistence, and deeply personalized approach of this author allowed me to finish this book with curiosity still growing in my mind for this topic.
September 27, 2021
I'm hopeful for algae, not so much for anything else. And I'll be eating "impossible" foods very sparingly.
February 15, 2022
Good if you want an in depth history of food. A bit repetitive / dull for my taste, but I doubt I’m the target market. Ended up skimming through the second half.
July 7, 2021
Larissa's book is fascinating and engaging. I couldn't stop reading. I feel like this is the book about food I've been waiting for. I wonder about new foods like meat-free burgers and what impact it might have on our health. This is the book that looks at these kinds of questions. Larissa is a good storyteller and an investigative journalist. She has a perfect blend of curiosity and skepticism, and a lifetime of knowledge that she shares in this wonderful book. Having recently struggled with a digestive health issue that no one can tell me how or why it happened, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the confusing, contradicting world of what food to eat and what might kill us. Larissa takes us on a journey that sometimes feels like a sci-fi novel meets exposé. She breaks down the potential good about food tech and the potential pitfalls, usually without passing judgement. Just asking good, smart questions. I never thought I'd read a book and decide to try an algae bar, but yes...I'm algae curious now. While Larissa offers many reasons to be cautious in this book, I still ended the book with hope that these foods and technological innovations might lead to environmental breakthroughs that will improve our health and the planet. Highly recommend!
March 21, 2022
Thoughtful and not what I expected. Delved more into how our food systems are broken and showed why tech companies are saying they're trying to fix part of it, but are only adding to the issue. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in Impossible burgers and seaweed as a future crop and cell-grown meat.
July 12, 2021
Honestly, I’m down! A lot of these ideas are great for animals and people! I’m a meat eater right now but if we reach uncanny valley level plant based faux meat I’d eat it. Check this book out to know the foods of the future and processes to make them. Very interesting
September 14, 2021
Fascinating subject; execution left much to be desired. I can see some roadblocks she had as a journalist trying to interview some of these startups that want to keep things due to "proprietary" reasons. I think this could have used better editing - the chapters seemed like standalone essays and they repeated information frequently. I also found some sections hard to follow just due to technical jargon and a lot of name dropping (of sources, which is good but I think for a pop science book, a reference list would have been more accessible to the average reader). There is some cool stuff happening in the world of food tech and I liked the last chapter (predictions of the next 20 years in food tech by industry people) but overall, the book was just an okay read for me. It also took me forever to read even though it is a relatively short book.
January 5, 2022
Zimberoff is well-qualified to write a book called Technically Food about the increasing use of technology in making our food. First, she has been writing on this topic for many years for the likes of The New York Times, Bloomberg, Businessweek and The Wall Street Journal. Second, Zimberoff has the necessary scepticism to give a balanced account. You can get some of the flavor of the book by reading an interview Zimberoff did with Green Queen, https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/larissa.... (Btw, Green Queen looks like a useful resource.)
The scope of Technically Food is wide. In my summary here, I share a little from the book’s Introduction and each of the ten chapters. The Introduction presents Zimberoff’s name for all the tech applications to food production that she writes about: “New Food.” The book’s central question is whether we should trust all this New Food. Will it live up to the promises that the inventors are making about their creations being healthy, good for the environment, and kind to the animals? Will we ever know; after all, government protections on food are much weaker than on medicines. “My hope,” she writes, “is that this book enables more conversations and shines a spotlight on how exactly the sausage is made. Even when that sausage is made from flora and fungi.”
Chapter 1 on algae informs us of algae’s huge potential: “there are more algae in the oceans than there are stars in all the galaxies in the universe. … Algae are doing the heavy lifting of supporting life on Earth. Fifty percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from them.” Algae has so many advantages: no need to cut down trees to grow it; no need to irrigate it; no need to add fertilizer. Yet, with food from algae as with all the New Foods, Zimberoff tells tales of failure, of difficulties still not overcome, despite the enthusiastic investors and the sincere zeal of those toiling to bring New Food to us.
Chapter 2 focuses on fungus, which is one of three New Food categories that the Good Food Institute highlights. Zimberoff is enthusiastic: “Of all the future food being developed, mycelium [a fungus] seems to be the front-runner for improving our food system. It’s sustainable, healthy, and it can morph into animal proteins we know (chicken, pork, beef), plus future creations we don’t.” This is off the point, but I enjoyed the book’s story of the fungus entrepreneur who overcame Type 2 diabetes by mostly moving away from animal-based foods. His doctor’s reaction: “I was the first patient to follow his advice and get off the meds.”
Chapter 3 highlights peas as a protein alternative to not just meat but also soy. The key is that New Food companies need large quantities of whatever is going to be the main ingredient in their burgers, etc., and right now, only soy and peas can provide such quantities. Chapter 3 is one of many chapters in which Zimberoff raises the concern that in their effort to satisfy consumer demands for taste, texture, convenience, low price, and shelf stability, New Food companies may be processing all the nutrition out of food.
One of the many strengths of Technically Food is the history lessons it provides. It’s easy to think that all these New Foods were unheard of till the second decade of the 21st century, but Zimberoff surprised me with examples from a hundred or more years ago. For example, Henry Ford had a soy research center with the goal of making plastic cars from soybeans. Less far out was the plant-based chicken that General Mills (a major food company) made in the mid-20th century from protein isolates.
Milk and eggs are the topic of Chapter 4. Milk especially has been one of the New Food success stories. Progress has also been made with replacing eggs, of which humans eat one trillion a year, with 50% growth expected in the next 20 years.
I was surprised to see a chapter, Chapter 5, on upcycled foods, such as making foods from grain left over after brewing beer. Such upcycling of the remnants of been production has been done at least since 1913. Food waste is enormous; fortunately, scientists are devoting their talents to tackling this via upcycled foods and other tech-driven strategies.
When describing one entrant in the upcycled food space, Zimberoff raises a persistent concern of hers about New Food companies, lack of transparency: “This secretive business model, which is pervasive in the food industry, relies on the obfuscation of ingredients, processing, manufacturing, and distribution. It needs to change to keep up with the times—sharing via social media is everything.” She worries that startups are turning out to be like the big guys in the food space (such as Unilever and Tyson) – who are buying out and investing in the little guys, as well as developing their own New Food products. And imitation of big by little and buying out of little by big “leads us straight to convenience foods, and the snack aisle—home of cheap, low-quality calories.”
Chapter 6 turns to the plant-based burgers, where so much of the media has focused. Zimberoff quotes Pat Brown, founder of Impossible, who espouses a common view among New Food advocates: “The problem, Brown said, is that we conflate meat with the animals that produce them. Until today, the only technology we’ve known that can turn plants into meat has been animals.”
Vertical farming represents yet another area in which technology is disrupting our food production processes, as Chapter 7 explains. Here again, Zimberoff lists concerns, including that plants grown on these high-tech farms will not be healthful, not to mention that many farm workers will be replaced by robots and other technological affordances. Additionally, the artificial suns (the lights used on the high tech farms) require huge amounts of energy. In fact, these lights sometimes create so much heat that more electricity has to be used to cool the farm to avoid overheating the plants.
Perhaps the big science-fiction-becomes-reality story of the tech food world lies in what is variously called celled-based meat, cultivated meat, etc. Whatever this New Food is named, Zimberoff predicts that often it will reach consumers in some kind of hybrid form, such as a combination of cell-based food and food made from plants via technology. Already, hybrids take such forms as blended meat: part conventional meat and part plant-based.
Chapters 9 and 10 of Technically Food inject more words of caution, although overall, I would characterize Zimberoff as a fan, a friendly critic, of New Food. Some of Zimberoff’s friendly criticism comes from food expert Marion Nestle whom she quotes as advising: “I would say that people should always be skeptical of breakthroughs—if something seems magical, then it’s probably not real.” Furthermore, just because a food is plant-based does not make it healthy; for instance, Coke is plant-based. That is one reason why Professor T Colin Campbell expanded “plant-based” to “whole food plant-based.”
To conclude, in my view, when we evaluate New Food, maybe we should ask “Compared to What?” Our current food system leaves hundred of millions of people malnourished, destroys huge swaths of forest (home to people and wild animals), kills 70 billion terrestrial farmed animals and an estimated trillion marine animals annually, heightens our risk of another zoonotic pandemic, and causes a plethora of chronic diseases, along with worsening antibiotic resistance and increasing cases of food poisoning. So, compared to that, maybe New Food deserves a chance, especially if we can keep in view the wise cautions that Zimberoff brings to our attention.
The scope of Technically Food is wide. In my summary here, I share a little from the book’s Introduction and each of the ten chapters. The Introduction presents Zimberoff’s name for all the tech applications to food production that she writes about: “New Food.” The book’s central question is whether we should trust all this New Food. Will it live up to the promises that the inventors are making about their creations being healthy, good for the environment, and kind to the animals? Will we ever know; after all, government protections on food are much weaker than on medicines. “My hope,” she writes, “is that this book enables more conversations and shines a spotlight on how exactly the sausage is made. Even when that sausage is made from flora and fungi.”
Chapter 1 on algae informs us of algae’s huge potential: “there are more algae in the oceans than there are stars in all the galaxies in the universe. … Algae are doing the heavy lifting of supporting life on Earth. Fifty percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from them.” Algae has so many advantages: no need to cut down trees to grow it; no need to irrigate it; no need to add fertilizer. Yet, with food from algae as with all the New Foods, Zimberoff tells tales of failure, of difficulties still not overcome, despite the enthusiastic investors and the sincere zeal of those toiling to bring New Food to us.
Chapter 2 focuses on fungus, which is one of three New Food categories that the Good Food Institute highlights. Zimberoff is enthusiastic: “Of all the future food being developed, mycelium [a fungus] seems to be the front-runner for improving our food system. It’s sustainable, healthy, and it can morph into animal proteins we know (chicken, pork, beef), plus future creations we don’t.” This is off the point, but I enjoyed the book’s story of the fungus entrepreneur who overcame Type 2 diabetes by mostly moving away from animal-based foods. His doctor’s reaction: “I was the first patient to follow his advice and get off the meds.”
Chapter 3 highlights peas as a protein alternative to not just meat but also soy. The key is that New Food companies need large quantities of whatever is going to be the main ingredient in their burgers, etc., and right now, only soy and peas can provide such quantities. Chapter 3 is one of many chapters in which Zimberoff raises the concern that in their effort to satisfy consumer demands for taste, texture, convenience, low price, and shelf stability, New Food companies may be processing all the nutrition out of food.
One of the many strengths of Technically Food is the history lessons it provides. It’s easy to think that all these New Foods were unheard of till the second decade of the 21st century, but Zimberoff surprised me with examples from a hundred or more years ago. For example, Henry Ford had a soy research center with the goal of making plastic cars from soybeans. Less far out was the plant-based chicken that General Mills (a major food company) made in the mid-20th century from protein isolates.
Milk and eggs are the topic of Chapter 4. Milk especially has been one of the New Food success stories. Progress has also been made with replacing eggs, of which humans eat one trillion a year, with 50% growth expected in the next 20 years.
I was surprised to see a chapter, Chapter 5, on upcycled foods, such as making foods from grain left over after brewing beer. Such upcycling of the remnants of been production has been done at least since 1913. Food waste is enormous; fortunately, scientists are devoting their talents to tackling this via upcycled foods and other tech-driven strategies.
When describing one entrant in the upcycled food space, Zimberoff raises a persistent concern of hers about New Food companies, lack of transparency: “This secretive business model, which is pervasive in the food industry, relies on the obfuscation of ingredients, processing, manufacturing, and distribution. It needs to change to keep up with the times—sharing via social media is everything.” She worries that startups are turning out to be like the big guys in the food space (such as Unilever and Tyson) – who are buying out and investing in the little guys, as well as developing their own New Food products. And imitation of big by little and buying out of little by big “leads us straight to convenience foods, and the snack aisle—home of cheap, low-quality calories.”
Chapter 6 turns to the plant-based burgers, where so much of the media has focused. Zimberoff quotes Pat Brown, founder of Impossible, who espouses a common view among New Food advocates: “The problem, Brown said, is that we conflate meat with the animals that produce them. Until today, the only technology we’ve known that can turn plants into meat has been animals.”
Vertical farming represents yet another area in which technology is disrupting our food production processes, as Chapter 7 explains. Here again, Zimberoff lists concerns, including that plants grown on these high-tech farms will not be healthful, not to mention that many farm workers will be replaced by robots and other technological affordances. Additionally, the artificial suns (the lights used on the high tech farms) require huge amounts of energy. In fact, these lights sometimes create so much heat that more electricity has to be used to cool the farm to avoid overheating the plants.
Perhaps the big science-fiction-becomes-reality story of the tech food world lies in what is variously called celled-based meat, cultivated meat, etc. Whatever this New Food is named, Zimberoff predicts that often it will reach consumers in some kind of hybrid form, such as a combination of cell-based food and food made from plants via technology. Already, hybrids take such forms as blended meat: part conventional meat and part plant-based.
Chapters 9 and 10 of Technically Food inject more words of caution, although overall, I would characterize Zimberoff as a fan, a friendly critic, of New Food. Some of Zimberoff’s friendly criticism comes from food expert Marion Nestle whom she quotes as advising: “I would say that people should always be skeptical of breakthroughs—if something seems magical, then it’s probably not real.” Furthermore, just because a food is plant-based does not make it healthy; for instance, Coke is plant-based. That is one reason why Professor T Colin Campbell expanded “plant-based” to “whole food plant-based.”
To conclude, in my view, when we evaluate New Food, maybe we should ask “Compared to What?” Our current food system leaves hundred of millions of people malnourished, destroys huge swaths of forest (home to people and wild animals), kills 70 billion terrestrial farmed animals and an estimated trillion marine animals annually, heightens our risk of another zoonotic pandemic, and causes a plethora of chronic diseases, along with worsening antibiotic resistance and increasing cases of food poisoning. So, compared to that, maybe New Food deserves a chance, especially if we can keep in view the wise cautions that Zimberoff brings to our attention.
July 19, 2021
As a founder of one of the companies mentioned in the book, I can attest that Larissa does an amazing job getting into the details of what our companies are trying to do and why. She also does a great job holding the industry to account to create products that are good for people and society.
I literally picked the book up one morning, and had finished it by the next day. Highly recommend!
I literally picked the book up one morning, and had finished it by the next day. Highly recommend!
July 3, 2021
2.5 stars, but I'll round up. Can't say I actually cared for this, since I'm already a food-averse vegetarian and by the time I finished, I was even less interested in food (regardless of whether Big or New). As was mentioned once or twice in the book, the people selling you food are doing so to make money, not to help the environment, help people thrive, end food insecurity, or any other noble reason. "New" foods seem to have just as many problems as "Big" foods...it's just that they're new foods, so at this point we don't even know what all the problems are. As one of the people in the "20 year view" chapter at the end said, you basically have to be a detective in the supermarket if you want to find things that (a) are healthy, and (b) satisfy your social/ethical/moral/sustainability/environmental goals.
Frankly, I feel completely over food at this point: if I could find the human-equivalent of rat "lab blocks," I'd go for it. Of course, I'd probably wind up with some weird disease from a micro-nutrient deficiency. But somewhere along the line, food (for me) just turned into a total minefield, and I am completely sick of it at this point.
Obviously, none of my whinging above is the book's fault. But most of the chapter topic areas are pretty surface level, and bog standard writing at best...and for my taste, there was just so much more authorial intrusion than I wanted, or was interested in wading through.
Frankly, I feel completely over food at this point: if I could find the human-equivalent of rat "lab blocks," I'd go for it. Of course, I'd probably wind up with some weird disease from a micro-nutrient deficiency. But somewhere along the line, food (for me) just turned into a total minefield, and I am completely sick of it at this point.
Obviously, none of my whinging above is the book's fault. But most of the chapter topic areas are pretty surface level, and bog standard writing at best...and for my taste, there was just so much more authorial intrusion than I wanted, or was interested in wading through.
September 20, 2023
2.5 rounded up for sincerity and mostly decent research. Honestly, most of this book was just plain boring. I'm not entirely sure what it was, since the cutting edge of food technology is both a topic that generally interests me and one I know at least a little about. It might have been the writing style, actually. It was just very difficult to get into. I have several big complaints, but I'll start with what I did like about the book. I generally think the author was sincere in her efforts to do good research about these new food technologies. I also think that most of the time (more on that in a minute) she tried to give multiple perspectives on a topic, the way good journalists should. Knowing something about the way at least some of these technologies work, she also actually did a decent job of explaining the science accurately and simply without dumbing it down too much. There was at least one scientific explanation I had some problems with fairly early on, which put me on alert for the rest of the book, but it was minor enough and seemed to be just a one-time thing that I felt like that wasn't a big deal. I also appreciated her frequent mention of regenerative agriculture, which I personally think has a lot of potential for growth and improvement.
Now, for some of the things I disliked:
1) there were basically no real citations. While she would frequently say who she got a quote from at least, or a generic citation like "on their website," the lack of detailed citations (even just as footnotes or notes at the end!) was very disappointing. This led to
2) some of my issues with some of her statistics in general and at least one in specific: She claimed at one point that 36% of the world eats at least one fast-food meal a day??? This is outrageous. In fact, it's so outrageous, I actually looked it up online. I think (although since there wasn't any kind of citation on this one I have to guess), I found what she was referencing, which boils down to that approximately 1/3 (around 36%) of Americans (NOT worldwide) are eating fast food each day. Which...does not come out to 36% of Americans do eat fast food each day, because that's an average, not a statistic of individual fast food consumption. So not only is the population description (worldwide vs. Americans) flawed, which might have just been a typo, but the very interpretation of the statistic is flawed, which I have a bigger problem with because on the one hand, the first mistake is so obvious everyone should have caught it and on top of that, the second mistake suggests sloppy thinking more than sloppy typing. Which leads me to be concerned about some of the other statistics that were not as obviously untrue. Leading to
3) where she seemed to be reasonably critical/skeptical/thorough in her analysis of these new foods, she had no problem at all basically ignoring a large body of research that disagrees with the premises she took for granted regarding essentially all of animals in agriculture. In other words, she presented the evils of meat in health and in the environment as largely settled with no benefits when that is not necessarily true.
4) For the first 1/3 or so of the book I couldn't figure out what her position was or even what the point of the book was, as it seemed to vacillate so much. While I get that as a journalist she isn't necessarily giving a final conclusion but rather just stating what she found, it felt like she had positions--they were just frequently opposite of each other. It made it confusing to read.
5) Another thing I felt like she sometimes just took for granted rather than assessing it more deeply was the various companies' claims regarding sustainability. Without a life-cycle analysis from a third-party source (she seems in favor of third-parties when discussing nutrition--sustainability claims should require the same), those statements may be questionable. That actually kind of goes back to point 3, above, which frequently uses third-party (sometimes even antagonistic) third-parties for those statements regarding nutrition and LCA without a lot of assessment of their accuracy (since there is controversy there).
6) I had some issues with the "experts" she quoted at the end...including some very mixed feelings on those. I appreciate that having a wide variety of perspectives is important but...some of the "experts" were basically just restaurant owners (which is fine) but talking about a wide range of topics that I was a bit skeptical they were really experts about. Basically how I felt about this whole section all came back to a quote from the last commenter from this section: "I came to think that people's predictions or forecasts, reflected their aspirations and desires more closely than they did any accurate sense of what's to come."
Now, for some of the things I disliked:
1) there were basically no real citations. While she would frequently say who she got a quote from at least, or a generic citation like "on their website," the lack of detailed citations (even just as footnotes or notes at the end!) was very disappointing. This led to
2) some of my issues with some of her statistics in general and at least one in specific: She claimed at one point that 36% of the world eats at least one fast-food meal a day??? This is outrageous. In fact, it's so outrageous, I actually looked it up online. I think (although since there wasn't any kind of citation on this one I have to guess), I found what she was referencing, which boils down to that approximately 1/3 (around 36%) of Americans (NOT worldwide) are eating fast food each day. Which...does not come out to 36% of Americans do eat fast food each day, because that's an average, not a statistic of individual fast food consumption. So not only is the population description (worldwide vs. Americans) flawed, which might have just been a typo, but the very interpretation of the statistic is flawed, which I have a bigger problem with because on the one hand, the first mistake is so obvious everyone should have caught it and on top of that, the second mistake suggests sloppy thinking more than sloppy typing. Which leads me to be concerned about some of the other statistics that were not as obviously untrue. Leading to
3) where she seemed to be reasonably critical/skeptical/thorough in her analysis of these new foods, she had no problem at all basically ignoring a large body of research that disagrees with the premises she took for granted regarding essentially all of animals in agriculture. In other words, she presented the evils of meat in health and in the environment as largely settled with no benefits when that is not necessarily true.
4) For the first 1/3 or so of the book I couldn't figure out what her position was or even what the point of the book was, as it seemed to vacillate so much. While I get that as a journalist she isn't necessarily giving a final conclusion but rather just stating what she found, it felt like she had positions--they were just frequently opposite of each other. It made it confusing to read.
5) Another thing I felt like she sometimes just took for granted rather than assessing it more deeply was the various companies' claims regarding sustainability. Without a life-cycle analysis from a third-party source (she seems in favor of third-parties when discussing nutrition--sustainability claims should require the same), those statements may be questionable. That actually kind of goes back to point 3, above, which frequently uses third-party (sometimes even antagonistic) third-parties for those statements regarding nutrition and LCA without a lot of assessment of their accuracy (since there is controversy there).
6) I had some issues with the "experts" she quoted at the end...including some very mixed feelings on those. I appreciate that having a wide variety of perspectives is important but...some of the "experts" were basically just restaurant owners (which is fine) but talking about a wide range of topics that I was a bit skeptical they were really experts about. Basically how I felt about this whole section all came back to a quote from the last commenter from this section: "I came to think that people's predictions or forecasts, reflected their aspirations and desires more closely than they did any accurate sense of what's to come."
November 17, 2021
“New food”, comprising “Beyond Meat”, “Impossible Foods” and their ilk, is staging a rebellion against Big Food, aiming to disrupt the $2 trillion meat industry, and the hideous practices that underlie factory-farmed meat.
Hideous, that is, for animals raised as they are in squalor and confinement; for workers toiling at the farms and packing plants; for the environment, which is cleared of forests, polluted with methane, C02, and noxious manure runoff; and for eaters who subsist on fast food that brings a multitude of health problems.
The rebellion is not unlike that portrayed in Orwell’s Animal Farm. Fed up with their exploiters, the animals, led by the pigs, vow to do things differently.
The manifestos of New Food are inspired by similarly lofty ambitions. They want to reinvent food in a way that does right by human health, animal welfare, and the planet.
Silicon Valley has proven its power to disrupt industry. If they can unbundle songs from albums, rides from cars, and bedrooms from homes, why not meat from animals?
Animals are, after all, inconvenient to have around. As it takes 8kg of feed to get 1kg of beef, they’re not terribly efficient “machines”. And since animals are not machines but rather sentient beings, they suffer. This weighs on our conscience, or ought to.
Enter New Food. The companies are on a quest to create meat without exploiting animals, people, or the planet. “Plant-based” companies extract protein from plants such as peas or mung beans and recombine it with other ingredients in ways that mimic the texture, flavour, and even bloodiness of a juicy hamburger or sausage. They’ve even developed plant-based analogues for bacon, ice cream, cheese, mayo, etc.
“Cell-based” companies go to even greater lengths to replicate meat without sacrificing an animal. They start with a single animal cell and, with the aid of a bioreactor, multiply it into trillions of cells to create a single cut of meat. Voila: we have not a mere simulacrum of meat, but the real thing down to the molecular level.
Ms. Zimberoff, although following a 90% plant-based diet, is not the proselytizing sort. While she ought to be welcoming of innovation that drives the adoption of plant-based diets, there is no bias evident in her book. She asks the food-tech founders tough questions. When their responses are elusive or disingenuous, she calls them out.
How well does New Food fare on its objectives of delivering better health and sustainability? Not well, it turns out.
Consider the pea protein in Beyond Meat’s burgers. The peas are grown in North America, shipped to China to be “fractionated” into protein, starch, and fiber, and the protein is shipped back to America to be blended and processed into a patty.
There is a global supply chain, a huge carbon footprint, an industrialized process, food stripped of its nutrients, and zero transparency for the consumer. That is, the formulas and methods are closely guarded intellectual property on which the companies’ billion-dollar market capitalizations depend.
How about the environment? “Initially cultured meat results in less warming than cattle but the gap narrows in the long term and in some cases, cattle cause far less warming as methane emissions do not accumulate, unlike carbon dioxide – the primary gas from cultured meat.”
What about our health? Unlike record albums, cars, or houses, food is more than the sum of its parts, and best consumed whole. Fractionating plants wipes away their phytonutrients (health-promoting compounds), in the same way that white flour, stripped of the bran and germ, is less healthful than whole grains.
Besides the loss of nutrients, today’s plant-based burgers have the same number of calories and saturated fat as their meat-based rivals.
Cultured meat, on the other hand, is an outright gamble. The genetic modification of cells, on the scale of trillions, is an unprecedented experiment with unknown health outcomes.
“Cultured meat can’t just cancel animals out of the picture. The cow does exist and participates in a cycle and has an immune system and is part of a chain that is renewing the earth and not feeding the people.”
New Food is thus emerging as Big Food by another name. It’s not so much as blazing a new trail as following the path toward industrialization forged by Big Food. The path to a better future is one that reconnects us with the origins of our food, be they plant or animal.
New Food has accomplished the ultimate magic trick. The food tech entrepreneurs have studied Big Food so well that they have replicated not just its products, but its bad practices. Alas, they are no more sustainable, healthful, or altruistic than what they propose to replace.
Orwell might well have the ending right: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which”.
Hideous, that is, for animals raised as they are in squalor and confinement; for workers toiling at the farms and packing plants; for the environment, which is cleared of forests, polluted with methane, C02, and noxious manure runoff; and for eaters who subsist on fast food that brings a multitude of health problems.
The rebellion is not unlike that portrayed in Orwell’s Animal Farm. Fed up with their exploiters, the animals, led by the pigs, vow to do things differently.
The manifestos of New Food are inspired by similarly lofty ambitions. They want to reinvent food in a way that does right by human health, animal welfare, and the planet.
Silicon Valley has proven its power to disrupt industry. If they can unbundle songs from albums, rides from cars, and bedrooms from homes, why not meat from animals?
Animals are, after all, inconvenient to have around. As it takes 8kg of feed to get 1kg of beef, they’re not terribly efficient “machines”. And since animals are not machines but rather sentient beings, they suffer. This weighs on our conscience, or ought to.
Enter New Food. The companies are on a quest to create meat without exploiting animals, people, or the planet. “Plant-based” companies extract protein from plants such as peas or mung beans and recombine it with other ingredients in ways that mimic the texture, flavour, and even bloodiness of a juicy hamburger or sausage. They’ve even developed plant-based analogues for bacon, ice cream, cheese, mayo, etc.
“Cell-based” companies go to even greater lengths to replicate meat without sacrificing an animal. They start with a single animal cell and, with the aid of a bioreactor, multiply it into trillions of cells to create a single cut of meat. Voila: we have not a mere simulacrum of meat, but the real thing down to the molecular level.
Ms. Zimberoff, although following a 90% plant-based diet, is not the proselytizing sort. While she ought to be welcoming of innovation that drives the adoption of plant-based diets, there is no bias evident in her book. She asks the food-tech founders tough questions. When their responses are elusive or disingenuous, she calls them out.
How well does New Food fare on its objectives of delivering better health and sustainability? Not well, it turns out.
Consider the pea protein in Beyond Meat’s burgers. The peas are grown in North America, shipped to China to be “fractionated” into protein, starch, and fiber, and the protein is shipped back to America to be blended and processed into a patty.
There is a global supply chain, a huge carbon footprint, an industrialized process, food stripped of its nutrients, and zero transparency for the consumer. That is, the formulas and methods are closely guarded intellectual property on which the companies’ billion-dollar market capitalizations depend.
How about the environment? “Initially cultured meat results in less warming than cattle but the gap narrows in the long term and in some cases, cattle cause far less warming as methane emissions do not accumulate, unlike carbon dioxide – the primary gas from cultured meat.”
What about our health? Unlike record albums, cars, or houses, food is more than the sum of its parts, and best consumed whole. Fractionating plants wipes away their phytonutrients (health-promoting compounds), in the same way that white flour, stripped of the bran and germ, is less healthful than whole grains.
Besides the loss of nutrients, today’s plant-based burgers have the same number of calories and saturated fat as their meat-based rivals.
Cultured meat, on the other hand, is an outright gamble. The genetic modification of cells, on the scale of trillions, is an unprecedented experiment with unknown health outcomes.
“Cultured meat can’t just cancel animals out of the picture. The cow does exist and participates in a cycle and has an immune system and is part of a chain that is renewing the earth and not feeding the people.”
New Food is thus emerging as Big Food by another name. It’s not so much as blazing a new trail as following the path toward industrialization forged by Big Food. The path to a better future is one that reconnects us with the origins of our food, be they plant or animal.
New Food has accomplished the ultimate magic trick. The food tech entrepreneurs have studied Big Food so well that they have replicated not just its products, but its bad practices. Alas, they are no more sustainable, healthful, or altruistic than what they propose to replace.
Orwell might well have the ending right: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which”.
June 21, 2021
In Technically Food, Larissa Zimberoff takes us through the world of "new foods," everything from Beyond and Impossible burgers to cell-based chicken, milk made from pea protein, aeroponically grown vegetables, and chips made from food waste. She covers a wide range of new foods with the linking concept being that they're mostly all startups, trying to introduce different ingredients, processes, flavors, or concepts to the (American) diet. Basically all of these companies sell their product under at least one of these benefits: "It's good for the planet. It saves the animals. And it's healthy, or healthier, for humans."
As a Type I diabetic from a young age, Zimberoff also has a lot of experience assessing nutrition in food. A lot of the companies she covers want to make their products not only environmentally-friendly (whether from creating meat or a meat substitute without the environmental impact, using an underutilized or wasted ingredient, or reducing the inputs needed for producing a traditional food commodity), but nutrient dense. After all, people want protein from meat - and modern health-conscious consumers aren't likely to choose a new food if it's mostly carbs, saturated fats, sugar, etc.
The book is divided into chapters based on the "theme" of food: Algae, Fungi, Pea Protein, Milk and Eggs, Upcycling, Plant-Based Burgers, Vertical Farms, and Cell-Based Meat. Each chapter basically catalogues the companies working in these areas, with Zimberoff sharing her experiences interviewing the founders/staff, touring their facilities, and trying these products. She tries to stay fairly neutral throughout, not opining on whether we should be eating any of these items, whether any of them are as planet-friendly as they say they are, whether they're good for you or not, or what this means for the future of food. She simply lays out their business proposition and her basic takeaways on process, taste, and nutrition.
The last two chapters focus on takeaways: Are we buying what these companies are selling? Is this a good direction for our food system to go in? The very last chapter is one of the most compelling: Zimberoff understands that it's somewhat folly to predict what we'll be eating in 20 years, but she wants to do so anyways. She asks a variety of food experts, from Chef Dan Barber to various food journalists to other food authors this very question, and it's interesting to read how their answers overlap and differ.
The ultimate conclusion that I got from this book - and that I think Zimberoff wants you to leave with - is that the overall goal for our food system should be to improve the land we're already using. Invest in sustainable and regenerative agriculture and turn away from conventional systems that are highly inefficient and resource intensive. Intensely processed foods, even when made from plants, are not good for us as a whole. Upcycled foods that turn food waste into tasty products are good, but will take a long time and lots of investment to get to scale. Our diets are probably going to look different in 20 years, but none of us really know if it'll be more things like plant milk and Miyoko's butter, or if it'll be cell-based chicken and lab-grown beef.
Overall, this is a really fascinating read for anyone interested in the phenomenon of "new foods," and you'll definitely learn something you didn't know before. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!
As a Type I diabetic from a young age, Zimberoff also has a lot of experience assessing nutrition in food. A lot of the companies she covers want to make their products not only environmentally-friendly (whether from creating meat or a meat substitute without the environmental impact, using an underutilized or wasted ingredient, or reducing the inputs needed for producing a traditional food commodity), but nutrient dense. After all, people want protein from meat - and modern health-conscious consumers aren't likely to choose a new food if it's mostly carbs, saturated fats, sugar, etc.
The book is divided into chapters based on the "theme" of food: Algae, Fungi, Pea Protein, Milk and Eggs, Upcycling, Plant-Based Burgers, Vertical Farms, and Cell-Based Meat. Each chapter basically catalogues the companies working in these areas, with Zimberoff sharing her experiences interviewing the founders/staff, touring their facilities, and trying these products. She tries to stay fairly neutral throughout, not opining on whether we should be eating any of these items, whether any of them are as planet-friendly as they say they are, whether they're good for you or not, or what this means for the future of food. She simply lays out their business proposition and her basic takeaways on process, taste, and nutrition.
The last two chapters focus on takeaways: Are we buying what these companies are selling? Is this a good direction for our food system to go in? The very last chapter is one of the most compelling: Zimberoff understands that it's somewhat folly to predict what we'll be eating in 20 years, but she wants to do so anyways. She asks a variety of food experts, from Chef Dan Barber to various food journalists to other food authors this very question, and it's interesting to read how their answers overlap and differ.
The ultimate conclusion that I got from this book - and that I think Zimberoff wants you to leave with - is that the overall goal for our food system should be to improve the land we're already using. Invest in sustainable and regenerative agriculture and turn away from conventional systems that are highly inefficient and resource intensive. Intensely processed foods, even when made from plants, are not good for us as a whole. Upcycled foods that turn food waste into tasty products are good, but will take a long time and lots of investment to get to scale. Our diets are probably going to look different in 20 years, but none of us really know if it'll be more things like plant milk and Miyoko's butter, or if it'll be cell-based chicken and lab-grown beef.
Overall, this is a really fascinating read for anyone interested in the phenomenon of "new foods," and you'll definitely learn something you didn't know before. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!
June 14, 2021
I felt compelled to read this book for a number of reasons. I have to admit that the top reason for my reading was because as someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, I've always been extremely conscious of the food I put into my body. I also work for a technology startup, and I'm completely fascinated by the various foods coming to market today. Just like Larissa states in her intro, "when I spot a new food at the store, I look at the nutrition facts panel before I pour it into a bowl." I also do the same thing. While it used to be just about the calories for me, it's more than that now. I have a keen interest in what macronutrients the food will provide me.
I also felt compelled to read the types of foods I now see at my favourite restaurants, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and futuristic foods that I've read articles about, like Soylent. The articles I've read are typically short, and most likely sponsored by the very foods I'm reading about, so the depth of information is pretty surface level.
I was hoping this book would give me a more in depth look at the new food wave taking over our restaurants, and give me more of an idea of what exactly I'm putting into my body when I eat these foods. The author, Larissa Zimberoff, promises "the first comprehensive survey of the food companies at the forefront of this booming business." Technically Food claims to examine the trade-offs of replacing food with technology-driven approximations, with the chapters diving into algae, fungi, pea protein, cultured milk and eggs, upcycled foods, and so much more.
I absolutely loved reading about all the startups and what they're up to. It makes me question what the future of food will truly look like. I think this book is so thoroughly and thoughtfully researched. It's laid out in a way that makes it easy for the reader to digest (pardon the pun). I loved the facts laid out at the end of each chapter, which makes for a great takeaway from each section.
Technically Food made for a fascinating read, and if you have any interest in the future of food, or even what you put into your body today, especially as you bite into that Beyond Meat burger or whatever other new foods you find yourself eating, I highly recommend this book. Within its pages are exactly what's promised in the summary.
I also felt compelled to read the types of foods I now see at my favourite restaurants, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and futuristic foods that I've read articles about, like Soylent. The articles I've read are typically short, and most likely sponsored by the very foods I'm reading about, so the depth of information is pretty surface level.
I was hoping this book would give me a more in depth look at the new food wave taking over our restaurants, and give me more of an idea of what exactly I'm putting into my body when I eat these foods. The author, Larissa Zimberoff, promises "the first comprehensive survey of the food companies at the forefront of this booming business." Technically Food claims to examine the trade-offs of replacing food with technology-driven approximations, with the chapters diving into algae, fungi, pea protein, cultured milk and eggs, upcycled foods, and so much more.
I absolutely loved reading about all the startups and what they're up to. It makes me question what the future of food will truly look like. I think this book is so thoroughly and thoughtfully researched. It's laid out in a way that makes it easy for the reader to digest (pardon the pun). I loved the facts laid out at the end of each chapter, which makes for a great takeaway from each section.
Technically Food made for a fascinating read, and if you have any interest in the future of food, or even what you put into your body today, especially as you bite into that Beyond Meat burger or whatever other new foods you find yourself eating, I highly recommend this book. Within its pages are exactly what's promised in the summary.
June 21, 2021
Told with wit, humor, and a dash of introspection, this book lays open the black box of Big Food tech. Each chapter covers a different piece of the pie, from BIG BURGER to BIG MILK, and explores whether plant-based products are actually healthier for you... or if that's all just marketing? Zimberoff has unprecedented levels of access to the big players in the space and is not afraid to push CEOs to answer the hard questions. She challenges companies to prove their eco-friendly claims, but in such a friendly, clear way, that it would be hard for them to take offense.
Her examination is much needed: we’re at a pivotal point in “future food” and understanding what it is that we’re putting into our bodies is essential. It’s not a one-stop solution or answer — like all things, food is complex, thorny, intersecting privilege and environmental issues and health, among other things. Zimberoff covers complex topics, but her manner is so engaging that she makes it accessible for all (and I loved her food tasting scene!).
The Mary Roach of the future food space! I’m really excited to read more by this author. My shopping list is now full of interesting foods to try, so thank you! A must-read for people interested in what they put in their body, or just those wanting to be up-to-the-minute on the latest innovations.
Her examination is much needed: we’re at a pivotal point in “future food” and understanding what it is that we’re putting into our bodies is essential. It’s not a one-stop solution or answer — like all things, food is complex, thorny, intersecting privilege and environmental issues and health, among other things. Zimberoff covers complex topics, but her manner is so engaging that she makes it accessible for all (and I loved her food tasting scene!).
The Mary Roach of the future food space! I’m really excited to read more by this author. My shopping list is now full of interesting foods to try, so thank you! A must-read for people interested in what they put in their body, or just those wanting to be up-to-the-minute on the latest innovations.
August 21, 2021
A couple of weeks ago, the UN had published the final report on global warming. We all know that we need to change the way we leave including what we eat.
Larissa Zimberoff takes us on a journey through the current state of research and development of groundbreaking innovations fueling out food supply. Her journey takes us through the early ancestors of alternate protein makers like "Hampton Creek" to all the new players who try to make plants more attractive, convert processed by products to healthy food ingredients and try to make a contribution to saving the planet. The final chapter contains collage of opinion pieces by some famous, some not to famous and some infamous individuals on their view on the future of our nutrition. We can be certain that this future is uncertain, but we also know that these ideas and concepts will change the way we eat and will inspire others to follow these foot steps. Whether you are a consumer or an industry participant, the book is informative and may inspire you to try something else going forward.
Larissa Zimberoff takes us on a journey through the current state of research and development of groundbreaking innovations fueling out food supply. Her journey takes us through the early ancestors of alternate protein makers like "Hampton Creek" to all the new players who try to make plants more attractive, convert processed by products to healthy food ingredients and try to make a contribution to saving the planet. The final chapter contains collage of opinion pieces by some famous, some not to famous and some infamous individuals on their view on the future of our nutrition. We can be certain that this future is uncertain, but we also know that these ideas and concepts will change the way we eat and will inspire others to follow these foot steps. Whether you are a consumer or an industry participant, the book is informative and may inspire you to try something else going forward.
January 29, 2022
Picked up this book due to my interest into hi-tech food. Been following the story of Beyond Meats and Just Foods because i know some folks that work for those companies. Zimberoff provided a good survey of the state of the technology/industry in 2018/2019 and examines the impacts and goals of Silicon Valley's attempts at changing the food landscape. While hi-tech foods are technically vegan, they are highly processed and of questionable impacts on human physiology as we go forward. While hi-tech foods are seen as a low environmental impact way of feeding human populations potentially at lower cost than industrial farming, will hi-tech foods totally replace agriculture? In additon, while we consumers have been taught to seek truth in labeling and natural ingredients, hi tech foods are based on trade secrets and mystery ingredients. Zimberoff provides insights into these issues thru interviews with hi-tech food mavens and other experts in the field. A compelling read of a very interesting subject.
November 16, 2022
For one, the author should’ve left the narration of the audiobook to the professionals bc she’s clearly not suited for the role. Sometimes her annunciation wasn’t clear and sounded like quiet mumblings, which made it hard to understand what she’s saying.
Its impossible to write a book like this with 100% objectivity. Authors will always have their own stance and some level of bias. Personally, I believe it’s primarily the readers’ responsibility to expose themselves to a wide range of arguments before deciding on their own POV, and not, the authors’. So despite the fact that this book was nothing short of biases and somewhat political, it wasn’t what really bothered me, but the inaccuracies of nutritional facts/science presented was wildly disturbing (e.g. confusing macros with micronutrients).
Nonetheless, it’s important to stay on top of the development of food tech and the food industry, as they affect our day-to-day lives, even more so for the underprivileged population. On that front, I think the author did a decent job.
Its impossible to write a book like this with 100% objectivity. Authors will always have their own stance and some level of bias. Personally, I believe it’s primarily the readers’ responsibility to expose themselves to a wide range of arguments before deciding on their own POV, and not, the authors’. So despite the fact that this book was nothing short of biases and somewhat political, it wasn’t what really bothered me, but the inaccuracies of nutritional facts/science presented was wildly disturbing (e.g. confusing macros with micronutrients).
Nonetheless, it’s important to stay on top of the development of food tech and the food industry, as they affect our day-to-day lives, even more so for the underprivileged population. On that front, I think the author did a decent job.
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