Anne Mendelson, "Spoiled: The Myth of Milk as Superfood" (Columbia UP, 2023)

About this episode

Anne Mendelson critiques the glorification of milk and its implications on health and the environment in her book 'Spoiled'.

Why is cows' milk, which few nonwhite people can digest, promoted as a science-backed dietary necessity in countries where the majority of the population is lactose-intolerant? Why are gigantic new dairy farms permitted to deplete the sparse water resources of desert ecosystems? Why do thousands of U.S. dairy farmers every year give up after struggling to recoup production costs against plummeting wholesale prices? Exploring these questions and many more, Spoiled: The Myth of Milk as Superfood (Columbia UP, 2023) is an unflinching and meticulous critique of the glorification of fluid milk and its alleged universal benefits. Anne Mendelson's groundbreaking book chronicles the story of milk from the Stone Age peoples who first domesticated cows, goats, and sheep to today's troubled dairy industry. Spoiled shows that drinking fresh milk was rare until Western scientific experts who were unaware of genetic differences in the ability to digest lactose deemed it superior to traditional fermented dairy products. Their flawed beliefs fueled the growth of a massive and environmentally devastating industry that turned milk into a cheap, ubiquitous commodity. Mendelson's wide-ranging…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Anne Mendelson

Topics covered

• dairy industry
• lactose intolerance
• environmental impact
• milk myths
• food science

Keywords

• milk
• dairy
• lactose
• environment
• food industry
• fermented dairy
• pasteurization
• myths

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Columbia UP

Books & works: Spoiled: The Myth of Milk as Superfood

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