Food And Us Is The Incredible Story Of How Food Shapes Humanity, By Seamus Higgins

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Food and Us: The Incredible Story of How Food Shapes Humanity by Seamus Higgins is a captivating, eye-opening journey through millions of years that reveals how the foods we eat have profoundly shaped our bodies, cultures, societies, and future.

Food And Us

Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry on December 19, 2025, Food and Us: The Incredible Story of How Food Shapes Humanity by Seamus Higgins has quickly emerged as a must-read for anyone interested in the deeper story behind what we eat. Blending science, history, and culture, the book traces humanity’s intricate relationship with food across millions of years, showing how diet has quietly shaped our biology, societies, and future.

Spanning an epic timeline of over three million years, Higgins takes readers on an interdisciplinary journey from our hunter-gatherer ancestors to today’s industrialized food systems. Food has fueled physical evolution, driven cultural shifts, and dictated lifestyles—from nomadic foraging to settled agriculture after the Neolithic revolution, and onward to urban, industrial societies. The book highlights how everyday foods carry the imprint of millennia of adaptation, experimentation, and change.

Higgins taps into shared memories with references to childhood classics like Angel Delight, instant mash, prawn cocktail, chicken Kyiv, and Arctic rolls. He reframes the 1970s—often dismissed as “the decade that good food forgot”—as a turning point. The era’s focus on profit, affordability, taste, and convenience sparked modern fascination with the food industry and its profound effects on health and society.

The narrative delves into the accelerations brought by the Industrial Revolution: explosive population growth, mechanized agriculture, mass food production, and emerging environmental concerns. The 20th century’s shifts in eating habits clashed with human biology, leading to changes in body composition and health challenges. Viewing these through economic, social, political, and personal lenses, Higgins argues that our current food model demands redirection.

Looking Ahead: Toward a Sustainable Future

The book’s optimistic final chapters explore integration of DNA insights, microbiome research, genotypes, phenotypes, and cutting-edge technology with human ingenuity. This powerful combination could create more sustainable, environmentally friendly food systems for generations to come. Without preaching, Higgins informs, sparks curiosity, and fosters a deeper connection to the food on our plates.

As Higgins emphasizes, food and its production are universal concerns—our history proves they always have been. This timely, post-festive reflection invites readers to ponder pleasure, tradition, sustainability, and the bigger picture beyond the plate.

Seamus Higgins

We didn’t just evolve with food. We evolved because of it. I’ve always been fascinated by how the simplest foods can tell the biggest stories. Things like salt or bread are so familiar that we barely think about them, yet they’ve shaped civilisations, driven trade, sparked conflict and brought people together around the table. I wanted to pull ideas from anthropology, archaeology and social history, but tell them in a way that feels human and approachable rather than academic. My hope is that readers come away seeing food not just as fuel or pleasure, but as a reflection of who we are and how we got here — and maybe pause for a moment to look at their next meal a little differently.

–Seamus Higgins

Seamus Higgins brings exceptional credentials to the topic. Beginning as an electrical engineer in the food industry, he has worked with global leaders like Nestlé and Premier Foods in roles spanning project management, factory development, process engineering, and new product innovation. After completing an MBA, he consulted for major companies and startups.

Since 2017, Higgins has been an associate professor in food process engineering at the University of Nottingham, where he developed and directs an MSc program in the field. He merges industry experience with academic expertise in chemical and environmental sustainability, mentoring future engineers. He is an associate fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), a fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK, an associate of the Food Systems Institute, and an editorial board member of the International Journal of Food Process Engineering.

Whether reminiscing about retro favorites or contemplating the future of food, Food and Us offers an engaging, thought-provoking perspective on humanity’s most essential bond. Available in hardcover, eBook, and other formats from the Royal Society of Chemistry and major retailers.

Find more from Seamus Higgins now:

www.thebookfoodandus.com

Kindle: https://amzn.to/49ygDLT

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4aYv1ja

RSC: https://books.rsc.org/books/monograph/2390/Food-and-UsThe-incredible-story-of-how-food-shapes