The food stories behind your favourite fruits and vegetables.

A TIMES ENVIRONMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR SCOTLAND'S NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2023 ‘This is fantastic’ THE TIMES ‘Deeply relatable’ SPECTATOR ‘Rigorous, incisive, warm and brave’ LUCY JONES ‘Essential reading for anyone that eats’ JAKE FIENNES ‘Universally urgent. Everyone should read it.’ CAROLINE EDEN - The food stories behind your favourite fruits and vegetables. Have you ever wondered who picked your Fairtrade banana or how far your green beans travelled to reach your plate? We are all part of a complex food system. Trying to make sense of it, environmental journalist Louise Gray tracks the stories of our five-a-day, from farm to fruit bowl, and discovers the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet. Visiting farms, interviewing scientists and trying to grow her own, she asks important questions to dig up the dirt on familiar items in our shopping baskets. Are plant proteins as good for us as meat proteins? Why can we buy so-called ‘seasonal’ fruits like strawberries all year round? And is the symbol of clean eating, the avocado, fuelling the climate crisis? As pressure grows to share our healthy, environmentally friendly lives on social media, Avocado Anxiety is also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect.

"A portrait of a food system that has become miraculously proficient at giving us cheap produce whenever we want it but at the expense of so much else." - The Times

"In a global food network, there are no black and white answers ... In the meantime, here are some food stories to munch over." - The Sunday Telegraph

"[Explores] the nuances and complexities in a deeply relatable way." - The Spectator

"Fascinating and informative." - Delicious

"How what we eat every day has an impact on us and on the world, and the ways in which we can eat better ethically and gastronomically." - BBC Radio 4 Start the Week

"Gray makes an overwhelming topic digestible. … Avocado Anxiety encourages understanding the science behind one’s food and demonstrates the global impact of every meal." - Foreword Reviews

"Gray, a journalist who specializes in food and environmental issues, is not afraid to get her hands dirty… With comprehensive research and intelligent, fair-minded writing, this is an informative, optimistic read." - Kirkus Reviews

"Each of the stories is an engaging essay written with punch and flair … an intriguing read." - Read, Listen, Watch

"Fascinating … Gray helps us to work out what’s worth worrying about and what’s not." - The Times