Critical Approaches to Superfoods - by Emma McDonell & Richard Wilk

Book Synopsis

Are superfoods just a marketing device, another label meant to attract the eye? Or do superfoods tell us a deeper story about how food and health relate in a global marketplace full of anonymous commodities?

In the past decade, superfoods have taken US and European grocery stores by storm. Novel commodities like quinoa and moringa, along with familiar products such as almonds and raw milk, are now called superfoods, promising to promote health and increase our energy. While consumers may find the magic of superfoods attractive, the international development sector now envisions superfoods acting as cures to political and economic problems like poverty and malnutrition.

Critical Approaches to Superfoods examines the politics and culture of superfoods. It demonstrates how studying superfoods can reveal shifting concepts of nutritional authority, the complexities of intellectual property and bioprospecting, the role marketing agencies play in the agro-industrial complex, and more. The multidisciplinary contributors draw their examples from settings as diverse as South India, Peru, and California to engage with foodstuffs that include quinoa, almonds, fish meal, Rooibos Tea, kale and açaí.

Review Quotes

Critical Approaches to Superfoods is more than a story about açai, ancient grains, and kale. It demonstrates how, why, and what we eat changes over time, particularly in consumer economies. Whether superfoods prove a passing fad or a lasting consumer fascination, this book scrupulously documents how these products and ingredients operate within the individual, social, and international dynamics of science, marketing, and cultural desires to 'optimize' health and wellbeing.
Emily Contois, Assistant Professor of Media Studies, University of Tulsa, USA

This super book takes a holistic and critical approach to superfoods-those purported to have extraordinary nutritional or curative powers. An intriguing read for both scholars and foodies.
Carole Counihan, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Millersville University, USA. She is author of Italian Food Activism in Urban Sardinia (Bloomsbury, 2018) and Editor-in-Chief of Food and Foodways.

About the Author

Emma McDonell is Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA.
Richard Wilk is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, USA. His publications include Home Cooking in the Global Village (2006), and Rice and Beans (2012).