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Boston Globe
29-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
John Robbins, author of ‘Diet for a New America,' dies at 77
Advertisement The book's message, Mr. Robbins wrote, was 'that the healthiest, tastiest and most nourishing way to eat is also the most economical, the most compassionate and least polluting.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy in 1988 compared 'Diet for a New America' and its impact on the way we think about food to Rachel Carson's classic 'Silent Spring' (1962), which warned how the unlimited use of agricultural pesticides like DDT had contaminated the soil and water and threatened the health of wildlife and humans, and which helped spur the modern environmental movement. Through the years, food writers for The New York Times have described 'Diet for a New America' as 'groundbreaking.' But Mr. Robbins's methods of raising awareness of the healthful effects of a vegetarian diet drew some criticism from Marian Burros in a 1992 Eating Well column in the Times. Advertisement 'Much of what Mr. Robbins has to say about diet in this country,' Burros wrote, 'is unremarkable: We eat too much meat and dairy products. Much of what Mr. Robbins has to say about the inhumane treatment of animals on factory farms is correct. But Mr. Robbins undermines his case by exaggerating; facts mix with factoids and anecdotes.' Burros cited experts who challenged Mr. Robbins's contentions that raising cattle was responsible for the deforestation of the United States, and that meat and dairy products contained more pesticides than plant foods. Mr. Robbins, quoted in the column, acknowledged that his message was 'a little complicated for the bumper-sticker mind and the sound bite.' John Ernest Robbins was born on Oct. 26, 1947, in Glendale, Calif. His father, Irvine, was a founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream company with his brother-in-law Burton Baskin. His mother, Irma (Gevurtz) Robbins, ran the household. The family pool was shaped like an ice cream cone. At age 5, John contracted polio. He was in a wheelchair for about six months, his left leg was impaired, and he walked with a limp as a boy, Ocean Robbins said in an interview. But through yoga, exercise, and a healthier diet, Mr. Robbins as an adult built his body to the point where he could run the equivalent distance of a marathon and complete the swimming, biking, and running stages of an unofficial triathlon. Mr. Robbins worked in the family ice cream business in his younger years, helping to concoct a popular flavor, jamoca almond fudge, and to popularize Baskin-Robbins' distinctive pink spoons. But, as a devotee of Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman, he later mutinied against materialism, telling the Times in 1992 that, in his family, 'roughing it meant room service was late.' Advertisement He also said that he wished his father had spent more time with him and less time on his company; sometimes, he said, he thought that 'my primary importance to him was that I would carry on the business.' Months after Baskin died of a heart attack in 1967, Baskin-Robbins was sold to the United Fruit Company. Irv Robbins remained with the company until he retired in 1978. According to Ocean Robbins, his grandfather had offered not to sell the company if his son would join him in business. But John Robbins declined. He was concerned, he said in a 2019 interview with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, that the consumption of large amounts of ice cream, loaded with saturated fats and sugar, had contributed to Baskin's cardiovascular problems, and also concerned about the treatment of cows at commercial dairies, where they produced ice cream's primary ingredient: milk. 'It broke my heart to see them treated so poorly,' he told PETA. 'I found the idea of profiting from such cruelty to be appalling.' Irv Robbins was angered by John's rebuff, Ocean Robbins said. 'He thought he had fallen prey to the hippie counterculture world where you just reject everything.' Upon graduating in 1969 from the University of California Berkeley, where he studied political philosophy, Mr. Robbins sought a simpler life. He and his wife, Deo, moved to Fulford Harbour, British Columbia, where they built a one-room log cabin that was later expanded to three rooms. Advertisement Ocean Robbins said that his parents did not own a car and lived on $500 to $1,000 a year, teaching yoga and meditation classes, growing what crops they could and taking one delivery per year of food they couldn't grow themselves. By the mid-1970s, John Robbins had reentered academia. He received a master's degree in humanistic psychology in 1976 from Antioch College (now University) in Ohio through its affiliation with Cold Mountain Institute in British Columbia and began a career as a psychotherapist. The family moved to the Santa Cruz area of California in 1984. Around that time, Mr. Robbins began reading books about the treatment of animals at factory farms, which led to further reading about the links between food, health, and the environment. From that sprung the idea for 'Diet for a New America.' In 2001, Robbins wrote a follow-up, 'The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World.' In 2012, he and his son founded the Food Revolution Network, an online education and advocacy organization dedicated to healthy, ethical, and sustainable food that claims more than a million members. In 2019, Ocean Robbins said, his father began experiencing symptoms of post-polio syndrome, losing strength and suffering chronic pain in his legs and later enduring sleep and cognition issues. In addition to his son, Mr. Robbins is survived by his wife, whom he married in 1969, and two sisters, Marsha Veit and Erin Robbins. In the late 1980s, his son said, John Robbins reconciled with his father: Irv Robbins, suffering from weight issues, heart disease, and diabetes, was given a copy of 'Diet for a New America' by his cardiologist. The doctor had no idea that the book had been written by his patient's son. Advertisement Irv Robbins read the book, gave up sugar, reduced his meat consumption, lost weight, improved his golf game and lived another 20 years, Ocean Robbins said. He died in 2008. It was confirmation, John Robbins liked to say, 'that blood was thicker than ice cream.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bestselling Author and Food Revolution Network President John Robbins Has Passed Away
A Pioneer Who Changed the Way the World Thinks About Food Leaves a Lasting Legacy SANTA CRUZ, Calif., June 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--John Robbins, bestselling author, activist, and co-founder of Food Revolution Network (FRN), has passed away from complications of post-polio syndrome. A trailblazer for ethical, healthy, and sustainable food systems, Robbins' work sparked a worldwide movement that continues to shape policy, science, and public consciousness. His bestselling 1987 book Diet for a New America exposed the health, environmental, and ethical costs of industrialized animal agriculture. Robbins went on to author several more bestsellers, including The Food Revolution and Reclaiming Our Health, reaching millions and inspiring a global shift toward conscious eating. Turning away from a path of inherited wealth as the presumed heir to the Baskin-Robbins empire, Robbins chose to champion a life of integrity. His activism extended beyond books: he served on nonprofit boards, spoke on global stages, and received numerous accolades, including the Rachel Carson Award and the Green America Lifetime Achievement Award. Despite contracting polio at age five, Robbins defied medical expectations to become a marathoner, yogi, and triathlete. Diagnosed in 2019 with Post-Polio Syndrome, he continued to live vibrantly—a testament to the diet and lifestyle he advocated. Robbins' legacy lives on through the million-member Food Revolution Network and the newly formed nonprofit, Food Revolution Alliance (FRA), both dedicated to promoting healthy, ethical, and sustainable food for all. "My father was my mentor, my colleague, and my treasured friend," said Ocean Robbins, FRN CEO. "His love, courage, and wisdom touched countless lives. Now, we carry his torch forward." A family statement added: "John met life's challenges with resilience and with love. Even in the face of pain, he never stopped growing, learning, or seeking to make a difference in the lives of others. His presence and his purpose continue to guide and inspire us every day." To learn more, please visit: To honor his legacy, donations may be made to the Food Revolution Alliance at View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Sierra Kohlruss, Chief Operating OfficerEmail: media@ Website: Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
14-06-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Bestselling Author and Food Revolution Network President John Robbins Has Passed Away
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--John Robbins, bestselling author, activist, and co-founder of Food Revolution Network (FRN), has passed away from complications of post-polio syndrome. A trailblazer for ethical, healthy, and sustainable food systems, Robbins' work sparked a worldwide movement that continues to shape policy, science, and public consciousness. His bestselling 1987 book Diet for a New America exposed the health, environmental, and ethical costs of industrialized animal agriculture. Robbins went on to author several more bestsellers, including The Food Revolution and Reclaiming Our Health, reaching millions and inspiring a global shift toward conscious eating. Turning away from a path of inherited wealth as the presumed heir to the Baskin-Robbins empire, Robbins chose to champion a life of integrity. His activism extended beyond books: he served on nonprofit boards, spoke on global stages, and received numerous accolades, including the Rachel Carson Award and the Green America Lifetime Achievement Award. Despite contracting polio at age five, Robbins defied medical expectations to become a marathoner, yogi, and triathlete. Diagnosed in 2019 with Post-Polio Syndrome, he continued to live vibrantly—a testament to the diet and lifestyle he advocated. Robbins' legacy lives on through the million-member Food Revolution Network and the newly formed nonprofit, Food Revolution Alliance (FRA), both dedicated to promoting healthy, ethical, and sustainable food for all. 'My father was my mentor, my colleague, and my treasured friend,' said Ocean Robbins, FRN CEO. 'His love, courage, and wisdom touched countless lives. Now, we carry his torch forward.' A family statement added: 'John met life's challenges with resilience and with love. Even in the face of pain, he never stopped growing, learning, or seeking to make a difference in the lives of others. His presence and his purpose continue to guide and inspire us every day.' To honor his legacy, donations may be made to the Food Revolution Alliance at
