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Ravenous: How to get ourselves and our planet into shape
You may not be aware of this - not consciously, at least - but you do not control what you eat. Every mouthful you take is informed by the subtle tweaking and nudging of a vast, complex, global system: one so intimately woven into everyday life that you hardly even know it's there.
The food system is no longer simply a means of sustenance. It is one of the most successful, most innovative and most destructive industries on earth. It sustains us, but it is also killing us. Diet-related disease is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world - far worse than smoking. The environmental damage done by the food system is also changing climate patterns and degrading the earth, risking our food security.
Few people know the workings of the food system better than Henry Dimbleby, founder of the Leon restaurant chain, government adviser and author of the radical National Food Strategy. In Ravenous, he takes us behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms that act together to shape the modern diet - and therefore the world. He explains not just why the food system is leading us into disaster, but what can be done about it.
The food system is no longer simply a means of sustenance. It is one of the most successful, most innovative and most destructive industries on earth. It sustains us, but it is also killing us. Diet-related disease is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world - far worse than smoking. The environmental damage done by the food system is also changing climate patterns and degrading the earth, risking our food security.
Few people know the workings of the food system better than Henry Dimbleby, founder of the Leon restaurant chain, government adviser and author of the radical National Food Strategy. In Ravenous, he takes us behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms that act together to shape the modern diet - and therefore the world. He explains not just why the food system is leading us into disaster, but what can be done about it.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published March 23, 2023
188 people are currently reading
3713 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
July 19, 2023
If you want a better understanding of how the global food industry works, how it affects our bodies, our environment, and the planet, then go read this book.
It's brilliantly written, and I think there's something important for everyone to learn from this book.
It's brilliantly written, and I think there's something important for everyone to learn from this book.
June 15, 2025
This book started out with some information that was new to me regarding food production during World War II and how Britain was dependent on food imports to feed its population. This was a weakness that the “Germans were quick to exploit. Nazi U-boats attempted to starve the country into submission by sinking merchant ships carrying food.”
“It was farmers who saved the day,” they worked hard “in order to cultivate every precious inch of land,” so much so that food production increased from meeting one-third to three-quarters of demand within two years.
Next came the population explosion, and Norman Borlag sought to increase yields of existing land, as there was no new land available for expansion. More food was needed to feed the growing population and effectively avoid starvation.
However, Borlag’s more productive methods had a downside that he didn’t foresee. “Modern intensive agriculture, with its crop monocultures and heavy reliance on pesticides and artificial fertilizer, has also led to a global collapse in biodiversity.” We are still trying to address this issue today.
Another major issue to tackle is obesity. How did we get to be so fat? Currently, about 60 per cent of the population in Britain is considered obese and this number is increasing. Obesity is widespread and causes much unhappiness, and has many side effects, some are even lethal. “No other avoidable cause of illness – not even smoking – steals so many years of life from us.”
“Numerous studies have shown that the British public already know what a healthy diet looks like.” The issue isn’t ignorance; we have the knowledge - it’s implementation.
“What is clear, from study after study, is that exercise is not a good way to lose weight.” Your body adapts to increases in activity and you use less calories than you would expect. Additionally, your body will respond to increased activity by increasing your appetite, which adds another layer of complication. However, exercise is good for your health and is a great way to keep you from gaining more weight.
“What we see here is metabolism and appetite working hand in hand to adapt to the calorific environment.”
“In modern Britain, the way we eat is one of the clearest markers of inequality.”
“It is tough being poor. You are tired most of the time. The lure of the chippy is real. But the problem – I think – is poverty and exhaustion, not the price of bread, yoghurt or vegetables.”
“Cooking from scratch requires time, knowledge and confidence.”
“You can’t afford to learn how to cook by trying things out and making mistakes.”
Examples of how healthier foods are more expensive than processed foods: “Yoghurts with sweeteners are a quarter of the price of organic no-added-sugar ones. White bread that has an ingredient list of chemicals is a quarter of the price of a store-baked wholemeal loaf. A bottle of squash is cheaper than juice.”
As regards cooking: “An awful lot of women my age I know don’t have a clue how to cook. This is an area of multi-generational poverty.”
“We’ve lost the skills our nans had.”
When Pekka Puska set out to reverse the high rate of heart failure in North Karelia, Finland he realized “he needed to address the habits of the entire population, not just those most immediately at risk. He had to make it easy to be healthy.” This meant working with all the sources for food: restaurants, cafeterias in workplaces and schools, and supermarkets. “Puska’s team also lobbied food companies to reduce fat and salt levels in their products.”
Puska realized how important school meals were, as “All of the evidence shows that a childhood habit for healthy eating is likely to stay with you for life.”
What helped Puska’s plan to enormous success was “the way both local and national governments got behind it […] to intervene on a grand scale.”
“We are fat and ill because we live in a world full of food that makes us fat and ill.”
“In order to break free of the Junk Food Cycle, therefore, we must either change our environment or change our biology.”
“Advertising junk food to children is no longer a decent thing to do.”
“Cutting back on meat consumption isn’t the only way to reduce methane emissions, although it is by far the most effective.”
The chapter, Sentient food: The miseries of intensive farming was truly difficult to read. I was somewhat relieved to read that “the UK has much tougher rules on animal welfare than most countries.” However, this doesn’t mean that animals live a happy life without any discomfort or suffering. The methods described in the book of ending an animal bred to be food is considered ‘humane’ “chiefly because the alternatives are worse.” This does not ease my conscience.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a much more serious threat to food safety.” Russia is very aware of Ukraine’s agricultural value. In fact, Ukraine has long been “known as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’” due to its production of “half the world’s sunflower oil, 18 percent of its barley, 16 percent of its maize corn and 12 percent of its wheat.”
The war has caused changes worldwide including price increases of basic commodities and politicians in the UK tackled the idea of becoming more self-sufficient rather than relying on imports. However, “becoming entirely self-sufficient would require a significant reduction in food waste, and a more efficient use of the land. Above all, farmers would have to shift from meat to plants.”
This book is worth a read, while I’ve highlighted the parts that were most interesting to me, there is so much more!
“It was farmers who saved the day,” they worked hard “in order to cultivate every precious inch of land,” so much so that food production increased from meeting one-third to three-quarters of demand within two years.
Next came the population explosion, and Norman Borlag sought to increase yields of existing land, as there was no new land available for expansion. More food was needed to feed the growing population and effectively avoid starvation.
However, Borlag’s more productive methods had a downside that he didn’t foresee. “Modern intensive agriculture, with its crop monocultures and heavy reliance on pesticides and artificial fertilizer, has also led to a global collapse in biodiversity.” We are still trying to address this issue today.
Another major issue to tackle is obesity. How did we get to be so fat? Currently, about 60 per cent of the population in Britain is considered obese and this number is increasing. Obesity is widespread and causes much unhappiness, and has many side effects, some are even lethal. “No other avoidable cause of illness – not even smoking – steals so many years of life from us.”
“Numerous studies have shown that the British public already know what a healthy diet looks like.” The issue isn’t ignorance; we have the knowledge - it’s implementation.
“What is clear, from study after study, is that exercise is not a good way to lose weight.” Your body adapts to increases in activity and you use less calories than you would expect. Additionally, your body will respond to increased activity by increasing your appetite, which adds another layer of complication. However, exercise is good for your health and is a great way to keep you from gaining more weight.
“What we see here is metabolism and appetite working hand in hand to adapt to the calorific environment.”
“In modern Britain, the way we eat is one of the clearest markers of inequality.”
“It is tough being poor. You are tired most of the time. The lure of the chippy is real. But the problem – I think – is poverty and exhaustion, not the price of bread, yoghurt or vegetables.”
“Cooking from scratch requires time, knowledge and confidence.”
“You can’t afford to learn how to cook by trying things out and making mistakes.”
Examples of how healthier foods are more expensive than processed foods: “Yoghurts with sweeteners are a quarter of the price of organic no-added-sugar ones. White bread that has an ingredient list of chemicals is a quarter of the price of a store-baked wholemeal loaf. A bottle of squash is cheaper than juice.”
As regards cooking: “An awful lot of women my age I know don’t have a clue how to cook. This is an area of multi-generational poverty.”
“We’ve lost the skills our nans had.”
When Pekka Puska set out to reverse the high rate of heart failure in North Karelia, Finland he realized “he needed to address the habits of the entire population, not just those most immediately at risk. He had to make it easy to be healthy.” This meant working with all the sources for food: restaurants, cafeterias in workplaces and schools, and supermarkets. “Puska’s team also lobbied food companies to reduce fat and salt levels in their products.”
Puska realized how important school meals were, as “All of the evidence shows that a childhood habit for healthy eating is likely to stay with you for life.”
What helped Puska’s plan to enormous success was “the way both local and national governments got behind it […] to intervene on a grand scale.”
“We are fat and ill because we live in a world full of food that makes us fat and ill.”
“In order to break free of the Junk Food Cycle, therefore, we must either change our environment or change our biology.”
“Advertising junk food to children is no longer a decent thing to do.”
“Cutting back on meat consumption isn’t the only way to reduce methane emissions, although it is by far the most effective.”
The chapter, Sentient food: The miseries of intensive farming was truly difficult to read. I was somewhat relieved to read that “the UK has much tougher rules on animal welfare than most countries.” However, this doesn’t mean that animals live a happy life without any discomfort or suffering. The methods described in the book of ending an animal bred to be food is considered ‘humane’ “chiefly because the alternatives are worse.” This does not ease my conscience.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a much more serious threat to food safety.” Russia is very aware of Ukraine’s agricultural value. In fact, Ukraine has long been “known as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’” due to its production of “half the world’s sunflower oil, 18 percent of its barley, 16 percent of its maize corn and 12 percent of its wheat.”
The war has caused changes worldwide including price increases of basic commodities and politicians in the UK tackled the idea of becoming more self-sufficient rather than relying on imports. However, “becoming entirely self-sufficient would require a significant reduction in food waste, and a more efficient use of the land. Above all, farmers would have to shift from meat to plants.”
This book is worth a read, while I’ve highlighted the parts that were most interesting to me, there is so much more!
April 10, 2023
This is a highly sensible, informative and utterly readable reflection on the state of our food system. The food system in its current form has evolved to supply plentiful calorific content at as low a price as feasible. However, this has surreptitiously gone hand in hand with increased global risks to food supply stability, climate change, pollution and increased risks of zoonotic diseases spreading across the food chain. A key eye opener of this book is that our food system is responsible for 30% of our GHG emissions. But it doesn't stop there: the food system in its current form is also responsible for diverse societal risks due to poor diets.
So how to set the food system on a more sustainable path? The hugely complex network of interactions between (household) economics and ethics, land usage, corporate intransigence and governmental and personal responsibility is untangled patiently by Henry Dimbleby who was commissioned in 2019 to formulate the UK's National Food Strategy. His tone of voice is authoritative and knowledgeable and never seems to drift into outright frustration or fatalism. We can actually do this.
The book ends with 15 recommendations at governmental level which require courage to implement. I won't share any spoilers on how many have been heeded, committed to or even implemented. But even aside from these recommendations, the reader closes the book with a healthy appreciation of what has gone right and what has gone wrong and insights into what can be adjusted at the personal level. This is a must-read for everyone.
So how to set the food system on a more sustainable path? The hugely complex network of interactions between (household) economics and ethics, land usage, corporate intransigence and governmental and personal responsibility is untangled patiently by Henry Dimbleby who was commissioned in 2019 to formulate the UK's National Food Strategy. His tone of voice is authoritative and knowledgeable and never seems to drift into outright frustration or fatalism. We can actually do this.
The book ends with 15 recommendations at governmental level which require courage to implement. I won't share any spoilers on how many have been heeded, committed to or even implemented. But even aside from these recommendations, the reader closes the book with a healthy appreciation of what has gone right and what has gone wrong and insights into what can be adjusted at the personal level. This is a must-read for everyone.
April 6, 2023
Excellent. A must read - it highlights the dangers of modern food, and the steps we can take to minimise those dangers, without preaching.
April 27, 2023
Really fascinating, well-researched, and with great insight into the global and local (UK) food systems but also all the things that food systems touch: culture, gender, family, money, etc. even though it was ostensibly about the UK, it felt totally relevant to the US and honestly makes the US even more terrifying because we’re worse in almost every respect. I know a lot about the food system already from reading other books and watching documentaries, etc. and I’m a very conscious good person, but I still learned a TON. If you eat food, do yourself a favor and read this book.
September 3, 2023
This should be at the heart of U.K. government policy. The need is urgent. Facts and realistic plans are here.
June 6, 2023
A fascinating read on the failings of the current food system, the potential solutions and also a plan on how to move forward. A fascinating read for anyone in the sustainability field, both environmental and social.
May 6, 2023
Outstanding! I think everyone has to read this book. He talks about the crisis of climate change, and how it’s linked with the crisis that we’re having with the food that’s being produced. Short term gain and greed are outweighing long-term considerations for our health and the health of our planet.
June 30, 2023
Great book if you want to learn about sustainability and food industry. Or just how politicians are great at their job (uhm Liz)😃
May 6, 2023
Eminently balanced views, taking into consideration all practicalities involved in changing deeply entrenched behaviours. The extent of processing in everyday food, and the devastating impact of meat eating / farming on climate change are eye opening.
February 8, 2025
Very informative 👍👍👍
June 19, 2023
A honest and excellent piece of work that summarises the impacts that the food system (both individually and at large) has on us and the world around us.
March 6, 2025
This was decent. Made some good points and was pretty well written. There wasn't really anything that was new to me though so it was just sort of fine?
August 18, 2024
This is an excellently written overview of the food situation in the U.K., how it relates to our health and to our environment. It was engaging to read and easy to follow.
It was a breath of fresh air to hear specific and detailed solutions to problems that seem overwhelming. Of course our policy makers still need to have the courage and decisiveness to act if we are going to tackle these problems.
It's easy to feel that we need to make drastic changes to our individual lifestyle to have any impact on climate change and even then we are still at the mercy of corporations. The author encourages the reader here that small changes across the population and across food production can make big differences to the system and our environment. For example, everyone become vegan - not a realistic goal, but if we all just ate less meat, that reduction would lead to significant effects needed in the fight to turn our food system around before it is too late.
Highly recommend.
It was a breath of fresh air to hear specific and detailed solutions to problems that seem overwhelming. Of course our policy makers still need to have the courage and decisiveness to act if we are going to tackle these problems.
It's easy to feel that we need to make drastic changes to our individual lifestyle to have any impact on climate change and even then we are still at the mercy of corporations. The author encourages the reader here that small changes across the population and across food production can make big differences to the system and our environment. For example, everyone become vegan - not a realistic goal, but if we all just ate less meat, that reduction would lead to significant effects needed in the fight to turn our food system around before it is too late.
Highly recommend.
June 2, 2023
This book completed a hat trick of titles I've recently read around similar topics and which reference each other. See also: Tim Spector, Food For Life; Chris Van Tulleken, Ultra-Processed People.
This book differs in that it's not solely concerned with the food system's effects on our bodies, but also social inequalities and the environment and climate.
How Dimbleby's authorship differs is that he's an inside man, having founded the Leon chain of restaurants. He's also co-founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and publisher of 2020's National Food Strategy that got picked up by campaigning footballer Marcus Rashford. He also co-authored the school food plan in 2013 that ensured years 1 and 2 get free school meals. Eton-educated, and son of David Dimbleby, he is of course from an extremely privileged background. In some parts of the book, Dimbleby discusses his campaigning life and how it mixes with his business one. He talks of the frustrations of dealing with the government, and battling against the think tanks like IEA who have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. He talks of the difficulty of reaching profitable status in a business when you are trying to run it ethically. Also, he gives over a few paragraphs to someone for whom food poverty is an everyday reality, to explain why eating well is not as simple as just cooking from scratch sometimes. Not only does Dimbleby sell good eggs, he is one, I think.
This is not a long book, but it is clear and succinct in its arguments, engaging, and thought-provoking.
I did find the government policy sections intriguing and would like to know more.
This is definitely a book that will annoy those who proclaim that everyone's mantra should be personal responsibility. I very much like it.
This book differs in that it's not solely concerned with the food system's effects on our bodies, but also social inequalities and the environment and climate.
How Dimbleby's authorship differs is that he's an inside man, having founded the Leon chain of restaurants. He's also co-founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and publisher of 2020's National Food Strategy that got picked up by campaigning footballer Marcus Rashford. He also co-authored the school food plan in 2013 that ensured years 1 and 2 get free school meals. Eton-educated, and son of David Dimbleby, he is of course from an extremely privileged background. In some parts of the book, Dimbleby discusses his campaigning life and how it mixes with his business one. He talks of the frustrations of dealing with the government, and battling against the think tanks like IEA who have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. He talks of the difficulty of reaching profitable status in a business when you are trying to run it ethically. Also, he gives over a few paragraphs to someone for whom food poverty is an everyday reality, to explain why eating well is not as simple as just cooking from scratch sometimes. Not only does Dimbleby sell good eggs, he is one, I think.
This is not a long book, but it is clear and succinct in its arguments, engaging, and thought-provoking.
I did find the government policy sections intriguing and would like to know more.
This is definitely a book that will annoy those who proclaim that everyone's mantra should be personal responsibility. I very much like it.
September 9, 2023
It’s rare that I get through a non-fiction book in one sitting but this was genuinely unputdownable. Depressing that it needs to be written but it’s a compelling and easily digested (pardon the pun) depiction of just how damaging our global food systems truly are. It’s astonishing that the topic isn’t front page news every day and far further up government agendas, but one can posit the reasons based on some of the narrative here. On a positive note, there seem to be scientific, evidence-based and straightforward changes we could all make to improve the situation - if only there was more impetus to acknowledge the problem.
November 10, 2024
Ravenous reads like a manifesto for the UK food system, which isn’t a surprise seeing as Henry Dimbleby worked on the UK National Food Strategy. This book almost seems like a middle finger to the government, for their seeming inability to listen to reason and implement the reasonable, yet essential recommendations in that strategy. I particularly enjoyed the first third of Ravenous, which focused on health and the body - notably, the discussion about the hunger hormone ghrelin is fascinating. If you’re interested in food, and how to feed a population while taking into account climate change, poverty, institutions, economy and employment, you should read this.
May 7, 2024
Excellent book, very readable and Henry Dimbleby does a great job of putting across the arguments for the changes we need to make to our food system. The evidence he presents is sound, and put across in a way that makes it understandable and compelling. We can only hope that a new Labour government would actually put his carefully thought thru plan into action to improve the health of the nation as well as having a huge environmental benefit.
June 16, 2024
4.5*. This is fantastic narration by Henry Dimbleby, he could speak the dictionary and I would listen.
I found this a very thorough and balanced listen towards the UK food industry and how it has impacted politics, health and environment. His evidence and solutions seemed reasonable to reverse these issues but will any of those in power listen and take them on board? I'd love to see it.
His comparisons to other countries were interesting on their food industries and how they are so different.
I found this a very thorough and balanced listen towards the UK food industry and how it has impacted politics, health and environment. His evidence and solutions seemed reasonable to reverse these issues but will any of those in power listen and take them on board? I'd love to see it.
His comparisons to other countries were interesting on their food industries and how they are so different.
August 6, 2024
The best "plain English" introduction to the wide-reaching impacts of our broken food system that I've read. Where many similar books trip over themselves with endless pages of data and meandering thought, Ravenous manages to stay succinct. It provides a brief history of our food system's development, the broken state we're currently in and, most critically, the relatively simple steps that can be taken to unravel the mess we've made.
December 7, 2023
Well, this is an eye-opening and depressing book. To be honest, I think it's more depressing for parents because it shows that their kids are screwed, and no one cares about it.
A nice way of explaining the research, steps, and conversations had to create the UK National Food Strategy. Sad that the government, as usual, ignored most of it.
It's the second book I read about how bad the food industry is. I still can not believe that the government prefers letting them off the hook rather than making them responsible for the addictions we have.
A nice way of explaining the research, steps, and conversations had to create the UK National Food Strategy. Sad that the government, as usual, ignored most of it.
It's the second book I read about how bad the food industry is. I still can not believe that the government prefers letting them off the hook rather than making them responsible for the addictions we have.
May 3, 2024
Pretty insightful book into the UK food system from someone who has been on the inside in terms of making policies about it, and it is another reminder about the big goals being thrown about by government are just not being done, and it will be the common taxpayer who ends up paying for it
April 13, 2023
Extremely informative, beautiful writing style. Every citizen should read this book
October 9, 2023
Both informative and challenging. There is a lot of information to absorb, and plenty of things that can be achieved on a personal level, though this is also aimed at government figures. This book is clearly the National Food Strategy that the author has been heavily involved with, and as such the research and suggested actions are very well thought out. An important book to read.
January 7, 2024
Good overview and helpful structure to what needs to happen to UK food policy (a lot).
April 24, 2023
Excellent. Basically this outlines the arguments and evidence for the Food Strategy, the recommendations for which are listed in the appendix, together with a note on which of these have (or, mostly, haven’t) been adopted to date by the UK Govt. If this description makes it sound dry, academic & unappealing, it isn’t - it’s a fascinating and compelling read. And scary.
July 7, 2023
Scrumptious and fulfilling 🌏♻️🫨🪱
July 3, 2024
Fascinating book.
February 12, 2024
Such a good book. Neatly summaries the arguments and data set out in The National Food Strategy. The more people that read it the better!
June 15, 2024
Brilliant content, definitely worth reading. Challenged me to be more intentional with food choices, and be more proactive in voting/campaigning to fix the very broken food system. 4.5 stars only because it's written in a way that is geared towards a very particular time (now) and place (the UK)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews