The Meat Racket

The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business

By: Christopher Leonard

Narrated by: John Pruden

How much do you know about the meat on your dinner plate? Journalist Christopher Leonard spent more than a decade covering the country's biggest meat companies, including four years as the national agribusiness reporter for the Associated Press. Now he delivers the first comprehensive look inside the industrial meat system, exposing how a handful of companies executed an audacious corporate takeover of the nation's meat supply.

Leonard's revealing account shines a light on the inner workings of Tyson Foods, a pioneer of the industrial system that dominates the market. You'll learn how the food industry got to where it is today and how companies like Tyson have escaped the scrutiny they deserve. You'll discover how these companies are able to raise meat prices for consumers while pushing down the price they pay to farmers. And you'll even see how big business and politics have derailed efforts to change the system, from a years-long legal fight in Iowa to the Obama administration's recent failed attempt to pass reforms.

Important, timely, and explosive, The Meat Racket is an unvarnished portrait of the food industry that now dominates America's heartland.

©2014 Christopher Leonard (P)2014 Tantor

OMG: I had no clue -- insightful and unsettling!

I liked this book very much because the information was well presented, well performed and interesting. This book left me with the impression that John Tyson was to agri-business what Bill Gates was to IT. Moreover, the story of the Tyson dynasty is an example of what can be achieved in a great capitalist society as well as the tragedy that can result from unbridled ambition; the history of Tyson illustrates the best and the worst potential in all human endeavor.

Great Book

I learned quite a bit from this book. The author explains the essential story of how the small livestock farmer has been driven out of business by giant corporations. From individual anecdotes to big picture trends, the author lays out the case in clear terms. Well narrated. A worthy listen.

The Book Big Ag doesn't want you to hear

Incredible insight into the history of factory farming/big agriculture and the policies that keep Americans trapped by its unchecked power.

Great Book Overall

it's very insightful to learn more about how we get inexpensive food on our table. While it could be argued this cheap food makes the country great, its at the expense of the ruin of many.

Mixed verdict on Tyson

Mr. Leonard has written an important book about the industrialized meat industry, combining it with a corporate history of Tyson as well as some social commentary on the impact of Tysons methods in rural America.

This book does not have a definitive feel to it. The other meat companies are only considered in passing, and Leonard does not go particular far in his research on the many ways that changes in the industry have changed our social fabric. But he makes a great start and puts it in a crisp readable format. Definitely worth a read.