Food Fray: Inside the Controversy over Genetically Modified Food

by Lisa H. Weasel, PhD

(Amacom, December 2008, 236 pages, $23)

It started with little fanfare over a decade ago, when genetically modified foods quietly appeared on American grocery shelves. But in the years since, GM foods have sparked a global controversy and sounded alarms here at home, triggered by a multitude of unanswered questions and dubious practices, such as highly publicized cases of "biopharm" crops contaminating the food supply...runaway commodity prices and worldwide food shortages linked, in part, to the biofuel movement...Europe's open hostility to GM foods and Africa's outright refusal to accept food aid containing genetically modified crops.

Combining solid scientific knowledge with a gripping narrative, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel helps readers make sense of this complex, contentious issue. Positioning itself directly at the intersection of food, politics, and technology, Food Fray captures the real-life experiences and wide-ranging perspectives of the scientists, farmers, policy makers, and grassroots activists on the front lines of this fierce debate, teasing out the hype from the reality and uncovering the very real pros and cons of genetically modified foods.

"A riveting and disturbing reality check...Weasel's is a compelling voice affirming that the desire to know more about GM foods before eating them, and to allay concerns about safety and environmental impacts, isn't at all anti-science. It's a decidedly pro-human stance."- Miami Herald, January 4, 2009 (http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/arts/books/story/835030.html)

"In a book brimming with insight, Lisa Weasel brings a truly global perspective, informed by on-the-ground research, to one of the most crucial ethical and environmental issues of our time. For anyone concerned about food security, global justice and human health, Food Fray is indispensable."
- Gregory Hill, President, Institute for Culture and Ecology

"In Food Fray, Lisa Weasel offers a compelling and balanced account of the battles over genetically modified food. It arrives just as the world is refocusing on the issue of hunger. Questioning the role of GM food as a silver bullet, she offers a nuanced and cautionary tale that should be heeded as this agricultural technology roars ahead."
- Samuel Fromartz, author of Organic Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew