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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $13.50

Format:
Paperback
160 pp.
111 mm x 174 mm

ISBN-13:
9780199661084

Publication date:
September 2013

Imprint: OUP UK


Food: A Very Short Introduction

John Krebs

Series : Very Short Introductions

In this Very Short Introduction, Prof Lord John Krebs provides a brief history of human food, from our remote ancestors 3 million years ago to the present day. By looking at the four great transitions in human food - cooking, agriculture, processing, and preservation - he considers a variety of questions, including why people like some kinds of foods and not others; how your senses contribute to flavour; the role of genetics in our likes and dislikes; and the differences in learning and culture around the world.

In turn he considers aspects of diet, nutrition, and health, and the disparity between malnutrition in some places and overconsumption in others. Finally, he considers some of the big issues - the obesity crisis, sustainable agriculture, the role of new technologies such as genetic modification of crops, and ends by posing the question: how will it be possible to feed a population of 9 billion in 2050, without destroying our natural environment?

Readership : Suitable for general readers interested in popular science, and students studying evolution, food science, and food security.

1. The Gourmet Ape
2. I like it!
3. When Food Goes Wrong
4. You are what you eat
5. Feeding the 9 billion
Further Reading
References

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Professor Lord John Krebs is the Principal of Jesus College Oxford. He has held positions at the University of British Columbia, University of Wales Bangor and Oxford University, where he was a Royal Society Research Professor from 1988-2005. Between 1994 and 1999 he was Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council and from 200-2005 he was the first Chairman of the UK Food Standards Agency. He is an independent cross bencher in the House of Lords, where he chairs the Science and Technology Select Committee. He also chairs the UK Climate Adaptation sub-committee and is a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation.

Evolution: A Very Short Introduction - Brian Charlesworth and Deborah Charlesworth
Drugs: A Very Short Introduction - Leslie Iversen

Special Features

  • Includes a brief history of human food and examines the four great transitions of food development.
  • Considers the various biological senses involved in food.
  • Looks at the reasons why people like some food and not others - including the genetic influences and role of learning and culture.
  • Separates myth from the fact about food safety.
  • Considers the reasons for the obesity epidemic and what can be done about it.
  • Explores the future of food security in an ever-growing worldwide population.
  • Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over six million copies sold worldwide.