Pandora's Lunchbox

How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal

By: Melanie Warner

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

If a piece of individually wrapped cheese retains its shape, color, and texture for years, what does it say about the food we eat and feed our children? Former New York Times reporter and mother Melanie Warner decided to explore that question when she observed the phenomenon of the indestructible cheese. She began an investigative journey that takes her to research labs, food science departments, and factories around the country. What she discovered provides a rare, eye-opening - and sometimes disturbing - account of what we're really eating. Warner looks at how decades of food science have resulted in the cheapest, most abundant, most addictive, and most nutritionally devastating food in the world, and she uncovers startling evidence about the profound health implications of the packaged and fast foods that we eat on a daily basis.

From breakfast cereal to chicken subs to nutrition bars, processed foods account for roughly 70 percent of our nation's calories. Despite the growing presence of farmers' markets and organic produce, strange food additives are nearly impossible to avoid. Combining meticulous research, vivid writing, and cultural analysis, Warner blows the lid off the largely undocumented - and lightly regulated - world of chemically treated and processed foods and lays bare the potential price we may pay for consuming even so-called "healthy" foods.

©2013 Melanie Warner (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Warner's thought-provoking study does an excellent job presenting the facts without sensationalizing, and offering common-sense solutions to those seeking to make better food choices." ( Publishers Weekly)

Same old

Not much different from other books of its kind. Narrator has an artificially perky voice for nonfiction. She sounds like she'd reading about Disney princesses to a group of 3rd graders. Pass.

Very informative. Scary, but informative.

Would you listen to Pandora's Lunchbox again? Why?

I will listen to it again and again to make notes. The book gives so much detail. We are being bombarded by toxic chemicals and most of them are coming from processed, packaged and canned so-called foods. Pandora's Lunch Box names names and describes the fake food ingredients, where they come from and what they do to our children, particularly.Melanie Warner has done her research, that is for sure and I appreciate all of her hard work. Even with all of the scientific detail, it is a fun book to listen to. Ann Marie Lee is a beautiful reader.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Describing the contents of some of our most popular "foods".

Have you listened to any of Ann Marie Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She is always outstanding.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I thought the opening story about Kraft was interesting. People need to know more about this "food" company, especially if they have little ones who like macaroni and cheese.

Protein and Bread

What made the experience of listening to Pandora's Lunchbox the most enjoyable?

It was a great coverage of all the ways that our corporate food is questionable; however, I would recommend two books to listen to or read to clarify some things she needs to read as well as all those who have listened to or read this book. They are "Wheat Belly" and "Whole." The need for protein is not as urgent as she covers, in fact, the requirements set by the government is not based on fact, but the need to please the meat and dairy industries having more influence in our politics than is healthy for the economy and our bodies.

What did you like best about this story?

The book is a great way to learn how to test one's own food, i.e., buy a bit of it and set it on the counter to see what happens.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were too many great pages to point out one.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Food and health.

Any additional comments?

She points out the danger of preservatives. I had terrible and medically verified acid reflux disease, extremely painful. I was prescribed medication. I decided to think it over and read a book on digestion where I understood the need for friendly bacteria. I thought well maybe the preservatives in food kills my friendly bacteria so I did not eat anything with a preservative. My acid reflux disease disappeared.

Really really good.

Clear and concise information about the food available today in american grocery stores. This book feels so much less biased than all the others I have read about the subject. She provides facts not dogma. I recommended it to many of my friends and family.

Eye opening

Well written and really good narrator. I am more driven to grow my own food and stick with the new life changing diet for the rest of my life.

Straight Information

Very good presentation of facts without a lot of subjective measures sprinkled in as is so often the case with books in this genre.

This would work well as a second book to read after some primer such as Pollan's "Omnivore" or most anything by Salatin or Berry.

Good for people beginning their health journey

I appreciate the historical background provided of the evolution of processed food! The best nugget the book was pointing out that the divide between good and poo quality food is the amount of cooking a person has to put into the food to prepare the meal. So true, synopsis of the book = eat real food that contains only 1 ingredient.

Interesting.

What did you like best about Pandora's Lunchbox? What did you like least?

A nice background on food history

Any additional comments?

There's obvious bias present in some of the stories based on the author's own perceptions and a desire to persuade others. Substances such as fatty acids are referred to as "grease" as a way of influencing others or attempting to debase some of the substances. This style is repeatedly used throughout the text and juxtaposed against scientific or factual data to attempt to provide more emphasis. Overall, a decent history lesson on the food and supplement industry.

Lots of great information and an easy listen

If you could sum up Pandora's Lunchbox in three words, what would they be?

Informative, Enjoyable, Necessary

What about Ann Marie Lee’s performance did you like?

You didn't notice her too often, which I think is the mark of a good narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book really made me think more deeply about the food choices I make for my family. I'm part of the choir when it comes to eating real food, but there were definitely a few things I need to rethink:

-Canned beans due to the BPA in the lining

-Puffed rice cereal for my baby because of the decimation of nutrients caused by the process that puffs the rice

-Fortified baby food - even the organic stuff. According to the book, fortified vitamins are coming from plants in China (need I say anything about what we know regarding the regulation of Chinese manufacturing?)

Eating well doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming. I'm really glad that someone has finally pointed this out in a convincing way that discards the convenient rouse used by Liberals and Conservatives that "middle-class folks are too busy and financially stretched" to eat well. Who can't spend 5 minutes cooking plain oatmeal purchased for $2 lb in the bulk section? Hopefully it will move the national conversation away from how to make processed foods healthier and towards eating real, whole foods.

Eye opening information

Melanie Warner presents well-researched, informative, truthful and shocking information on how the food additive industry is self-governed and how this position has evolved into what's allowed in our food today. If you read food labels and are interested in how to protect yourself from the dangers of un- and under researched additives, this is a must read. Just be prepared to start looking more closely at the products in the grocery store.