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This is one of those books that covers something you hardly think about and therefore you learn so much from. Really enjoyed.
This book focuses on the history of refrigeration and freezing and their far reaching implications. To name a few big themes: it changed political landscapes, changed what we eat when we eat it, changed nutritional content of the foods we eat, extinguished certain varietals of fruits and vegetables in favor of ones that can withstand the cold chain, contributed to a more egalitarian society, and influences food prices and different grocery stores - Whole Foods produce is more expensive than Walmart not only because it’s higher quality but also because its access to the cold chain infrastructure is weaker.
The technological and food science advances that made leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time is fascinating. Especially considering how seamlessly refrigeration has melded in the lives of us in the developed world. But equally as fascinating is how uneven the developed world has acquired cold storage - China as a whole is a few steps behind the US on that front.
The impact on human health long term is unclear. By focusing on more sterile and cold preserved foods, are we shifting our microbiome diversity? And does this then negatively impact health? Justin Sonnenberg would say so.
She concludes with a critique on the sustainability and net good of refrigeration - while it may seem like only positive things came from cold storage, this is not the case.
Overall it was well researched and unbiased. It was a bit long and dense at points, though.