Publishers Weekly
04/12/2021
Journalist Zimberoff debuts with a breezy and informative survey of the food-tech industry, noting both the promise and perils of the innovations that are changing the way people eat. The motivations for companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which manufacture plant-based burgers, are subject to a complicated balancing act, she notes: they may have idealistic goals (reversing climate change and ending animal suffering), but “money and investors are still behind it all,” which may work against their aims to make the world a better place. The ideal situation, she writes, is a food system that is good for people, the planet, and business. Algae, for example, is touted as potentially checking all three boxes, but the science is still out on the health benefits, and harvesting methods can be energy-intensive. Predictions from 21 experts (chefs, writers, chemists) on what dietary habits will look like in 20 years round things out; some say less meat, some say more. Zimberoff excels at making complex issues accessible, and she leavens her survey with dashes of dry humor, as when discussing the prospect of mealworms as a staple protein source: “Well, not everything deserves to become the next soybean.” Anyone curious about the future of food should give this a look. (June)
author of Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked - Michael Moss
The people Zimberoff writes about in this clear-eyed guide to the cornucopia of new food being engineered with our health in mind are everything big food can’t be: inventive, risk-taking, infectiously impassioned. Careful, she warns; there’s plenty of hype being dished. But wow, I can’t wait to eat some beer.
clinical professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and author of UnDo It! - Dr. Dean Ornish
If you want to know what we’ll be eating twenty years from now, read this book.
the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and the author of The Th - Dan Barber
"In a feat of razor-sharp journalism, Zimberoff asks all the right questions about Silicon Valley’s hunger for a tech-driven food system. If you, like me, suspect they’re selling the sizzle more than the steak, read Technically Food for the real story."
@CollegeNutritionist - Rachel Paul
As a nutritionist and meat eater, it’s clear to me that we need greater consumer transparency to understand whether or not new foods are better for our health. Technically Food is a must read because it answers the essential question that skeptical consumers are asking: ‘What might we lose by embracing a future of lab-made food?’
food editor, Bloomberg News - Kate Krader
Larissa Zimberoff takes Silicon Valley’s hottest ingredients and makes them resonate through a combination of excellent storytelling and reporting. From pea protein, the ‘Disneyland of Natural Foods,’ to the billion-dollar veggie burger industry, Zimberoff makes Technically Food a wonderland of intelligence.
Science Magazine
“the reporting behind this book is masterful”
From the Publisher
"In a feat of razor-sharp journalism, Zimberoff asks all the right questions about Silicon Valley’s hunger for a tech-driven food system. If you, like me, suspect they’re selling the sizzle more than the steak, read Technically Food for the real story."—Dan Barber, the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and the author of The Th
“The people Zimberoff writes about in this clear-eyed guide to the cornucopia of new food being engineered with our health in mind are everything big food can’t be: inventive, risk-taking, infectiously impassioned. Careful, she warns; there’s plenty of hype being dished. But wow, I can’t wait to eat some beer.”—Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked
“Larissa Zimberoff takes Silicon Valley’s hottest ingredients and makes them resonate through a combination of excellent storytelling and reporting. From pea protein, the ‘Disneyland of Natural Foods,’ to the billion-dollar veggie burger industry, Zimberoff makes Technically Food a wonderland of intelligence.”—Kate Krader, food editor, Bloomberg News
“As a nutritionist and meat eater, it’s clear to me that we need greater consumer transparency to understand whether or not new foods are better for our health. Technically Food is a must read because it answers the essential question that skeptical consumers are asking: ‘What might we lose by embracing a future of lab-made food?’”—Rachel Paul, PhD, RD, @CollegeNutritionist
“If you want to know what we’ll be eating twenty years from now, read this book.”—Dr. Dean Ornish, clinical professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and author of UnDo It!
“Zimberoff excels at making complex issues accessible, and she leavens her survey with dashes of dry humor. Anyone curious about the future of food should give this a look.”—Publishers Weekly
“An engaging, thorough examination of the transformation of the food industry as it relates to sustainability and creating alternatives to the slaughterhouse. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal
“the reporting behind this book is masterful”—Science Magazine
SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
Larissa Zimberoff’s narration works in this food-centric audiobook because she has a pleasing voice and good reportorial skills. She understands pacing and cadence. A good storyteller, she knows whereof she speaks, as she suffers from Type 1 diabetes, and she has been a close observer of everything she eats since her teens. Here she uses this skill set to her look at the intersection of food and technology. Her journey takes listeners into the far reaches of food engineering—from vertical farms to plant-based and cell-based meats. Her decision to let experts predict what we’ll be eating in 20 years makes for a fitting ending to her explorations of the brave new world of food. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
