科学と歴史の両面から、食物の発展と私たちの食生活に影響を与えてきた大きな四つの転換期について考えていきます。肥満危機や持続的農業といった問題、食糧危機、新しい技術に求められる役割まで、人間の食物の歴史について、興味深い考察を展開します。(cf. Agriculture, #473; Food, #366; Agricultural and Food Controversies: What Everyone Needs to Know; Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know; Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know) 
   

• 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

 
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?
 
 
Reading Guide
Drawing on a mixture of science and history, Professor Lord John Krebs's Very Short Introduction looks at the development of food and the four great transitions that affected the way we eat. From issues such as the obesity crisis and sustainable agriculture to food scares and the role of new technologies, Krebs provides a fascinating exploration of the history of human food.