Food Fights

Some of the world's most bitter conflicts have nothing to do with access to resources, ethnic chauvinism, or the balance of power. Here's a short guide to the planet's fiercest gastronomic controversies.   

BY ANNIE LOWREY | MAY/JUNE 2010

EGGPLANT

The Battleground: India

The Fight: In October, the Indian government gave its first approval to a genetically modified food, "Bt brinjal" -- an eggplant bioengineered by agro-giant Monsanto to resist certain insects. But a widely circulated independent study showed that Bt brinjal has fewer calories than traditional eggplant and gave lab rats diarrhea. Indian environmentalists and farmers took to the streets in protest, dressing in eggplant costumes and burning eggplants in effigy. In February, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh temporarily halted the rollout of the modified veggie pending a government investigation.

DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images

 

Annie Lowrey is an assistant editor at Foreign Policy.