Excellent article: well-organized; well-written; and on a most relevant topic--food in politics. I remember Obama's words and sentiments on his 2007 campaign trail: 1) We're going to get Big Ag. under control; and 2) Americans deserve to know what's in their food. Those issues ended up way back on the Obama burner, to the point that they've disappeared. I'm surprised to read some comments below from Obama apologists, essentially that he's had so much on his plate that he couldn't get to those matters. I voted for Obama twice, and one of the reasons was that I believed his words about controlling Big Ag. and labeling our food for GMO content. Eight years later, we're worse off than before.
Trump and Hillary are corporate-owned and will most likely make no change in food safety. Didn't Hillary get paid $235,000 last year for a one-hour talk to Monsanto and other biotech heads? I can guarantee she didn't spend that hour telling Monsanto to clean up its act. Here in Indiana, about 85-90% of the corn and soybeans are GMO. The ground is saturated with Round-up and stronger chemicals which have seeped into the water table. Animal wastes from CAFOs have entered the water table as well. How can we ever trust politicians again?
So, 25 years ago I began organic gardening to make sure my family and I could have safe produce to eat. I sell half my crop, and local residents are always anxious to buy it. I highly recommend that everyone do the same.
Trump and Hillary are corporate-owned and will most likely make no change in food safety. Didn't Hillary get paid $235,000 last year for a one-hour talk to Monsanto and other biotech heads? I can guarantee she didn't spend that hour telling Monsanto to clean up its act. Here in Indiana, about 85-90% of the corn and soybeans are GMO. The ground is saturated with Round-up and stronger chemicals which have seeped into the water table. Animal wastes from CAFOs have entered the water table as well. How can we ever trust politicians again?
So, 25 years ago I began organic gardening to make sure my family and I could have safe produce to eat. I sell half my crop, and local residents are always anxious to buy it. I highly recommend that everyone do the same.
2
40 years ago I was living in Puerto Rico. At the time there were case showing up where 5 year old girls were sprouting breast buds and boys and girls were developing pubic hair. The culprit was steroids and other chemicals used in chicken production a staple of the Puerto Rican diet.
It's for this reason that we need supervision of our food suppliers.
It's for this reason that we need supervision of our food suppliers.
1
This is possible because the average American consumer is willfully blind to the cruelty and devastating environmental impact of the meat, dairy, and egg industries. Every single person in this country that consumes animal-derived products is voting with his/her dollars for this industry. Those who believe that buying "humane" meat, dairy, and eggs is the way to go, are among the worst because they know of the perversion of this industry, the cruelty visited upon the animals, the devastation caused to our environment, but insist that the products they buy are different. How can you humanely kill a sentient being that wants to live? How can you humanely separate at birth a calf from his mother so you can have his mother's milk? How can you humanely shred or gas or suffocate male chicks as soon as they are born because they are useless for the egg industry?
Thanks for noticing the niceness of Midwestern farmers. U.S. commodity organizations, such as the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance for which I volunteer my time and energy, are grassroots organizations started by and run by real farmers and ranchers to represent today’s American agriculture. Rather than villain-ize the hard-working, well meaning people who grow, raise, process and sell within the greatest food system in the world, we strive to work positively and collaboratively on an ever more effective, efficient and sustainable food systems for a healthier future.
We support transparency and diversity along with science-based answers and modern technologies that can sustain our families and our communities now and for generations to come.
Your continual insistence to denigrate American agriculture with outdated and outlandish criticism of today’s food production does little to instigate change. If only you’d stop to notice all the innovative and positive ways today’s farmers and ranchers are caring for their land, their animals, the water, soil and entire environment surrounding their communities you’d recognize the quiet evolutions occurring with today’s farm and food systems. Let’s stop looking for conspiracies where they don’t exist and put our energy into working together to continually improve what we already have: A food and agriculture system that is the envy of the world.
We support transparency and diversity along with science-based answers and modern technologies that can sustain our families and our communities now and for generations to come.
Your continual insistence to denigrate American agriculture with outdated and outlandish criticism of today’s food production does little to instigate change. If only you’d stop to notice all the innovative and positive ways today’s farmers and ranchers are caring for their land, their animals, the water, soil and entire environment surrounding their communities you’d recognize the quiet evolutions occurring with today’s farm and food systems. Let’s stop looking for conspiracies where they don’t exist and put our energy into working together to continually improve what we already have: A food and agriculture system that is the envy of the world.
The Obamas are not stupid. They want a good life after the Presidency. Taking on any big business would be suicide.
1
Meanwhile, current widespread ag practices are stripping the nutrients out of our soils, and therefore our food, over the last 50 years. Seriously underreported. Perhaps an answer to why Americans are overweight and confused. Most get enough or too many calories, yet in some cases 70% less of some nutrients than our grandparents ate.
Cheaply grown food is not in anyone's best interests. Can you imagine if the price for what you normally buy at the store were jacked up by that percentage? That, in essence, is what is happening. It looks the same and the calories are there, but our bodies are not getting the nutrients we should.
Additionally, current conventional practices are stripping the carbon from our soil, and we need a major upramp in awareness on soil carbon sequestration. Organic no till has the highest carbon sequestration levels for annual crops, which most Americans are accustomed to buying. As Mr. Pollan mentions, there is a high climate price to pay for what is essentially a mining operation. It is not sustainable. How we get there, I don't know, but most likely starts with consumer awareness and then demand.
Cheaply grown food is not in anyone's best interests. Can you imagine if the price for what you normally buy at the store were jacked up by that percentage? That, in essence, is what is happening. It looks the same and the calories are there, but our bodies are not getting the nutrients we should.
Additionally, current conventional practices are stripping the carbon from our soil, and we need a major upramp in awareness on soil carbon sequestration. Organic no till has the highest carbon sequestration levels for annual crops, which most Americans are accustomed to buying. As Mr. Pollan mentions, there is a high climate price to pay for what is essentially a mining operation. It is not sustainable. How we get there, I don't know, but most likely starts with consumer awareness and then demand.
1
It's amazing, the number of comments from so many people with such strong views on ag-related articles like this one who so obviously know nothing - or, worse than nothing - about the pros and cons of different farming practices, the impacts of pesticides and herbicides, the complexities of soil biology, etc. Ignorance and misinformation redound to big ag's benefit.
1
"Big Pharma" and "Big Ag" are unravelling the fabric of this country and our so called leaders are aiding and abetting the obscene plundering of the land and its people.
9
This question has haunted me for 8 years. Thanks for the perspective.
2
Michelle Obama for Secretary of Agriculture.
Big Food would scream in terror.
Big Food would scream in terror.
3
In summarizing the author's letter of eight year's ago during his Time magazine interview, President Obama acknowledged the problems with the agricultural sector and its contribution not only to environmental problems, but the worsening health of Americans and the resulting spiraling costs of health care.
However, if you check the overall contribution of agriculture and health care to the U.S.'s GDP, it will be easy to understand why no U.S. president, well intentioned or not, would risk the economic consequences to push for significant change or reform.
In addition, the political power wielded by these two industries is so immense that few elected officials, even the one to the highest office in the land, can effectively stand up to them. The examples are too numerous to mention, but suffice to say those who dare to challenge either of these industries pays dearly.
However, if you check the overall contribution of agriculture and health care to the U.S.'s GDP, it will be easy to understand why no U.S. president, well intentioned or not, would risk the economic consequences to push for significant change or reform.
In addition, the political power wielded by these two industries is so immense that few elected officials, even the one to the highest office in the land, can effectively stand up to them. The examples are too numerous to mention, but suffice to say those who dare to challenge either of these industries pays dearly.
1
The current American way of eating supports two industries that are hugely profitable, and form the foundation of the U.S. economy; the food industry and health care. It is because of the former, which has been implicated in climbing disease rates, included the fact that two thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, that the latter does such spectacular business. Reform to the former would also cut into the profits of the latter as people got healthier.
Go check what percent of U.S. GDP these two industries generate, and it will be easy to understand why these two industries will fight tooth and nail to oppose any change or reform. For those who don't remember the wrath of the food producers in the U.S., remember Oprah was taken to court just for publicly suggesting people eat less beef.
Beyond the endless lobbying and arm twisting of members of Congress by the food industry, given the contribution to GDP by the food industry and the health industry, no U.S. president, well intentioned or not, would risk the economic consequences to push for significant change or reform. The power of the money involved is more powerful than even the most powerful head of state in the free world.
Go check what percent of U.S. GDP these two industries generate, and it will be easy to understand why these two industries will fight tooth and nail to oppose any change or reform. For those who don't remember the wrath of the food producers in the U.S., remember Oprah was taken to court just for publicly suggesting people eat less beef.
Beyond the endless lobbying and arm twisting of members of Congress by the food industry, given the contribution to GDP by the food industry and the health industry, no U.S. president, well intentioned or not, would risk the economic consequences to push for significant change or reform. The power of the money involved is more powerful than even the most powerful head of state in the free world.
2
Maybe because he was busy saving the economy and shutting down two wars. And there is the additional problem that fighting Big Food would have gone nowhere, especially with Republicans in charge of the Congress.
3
My goodness, I had no idea President Obama walked on water.
Is he our Savior?
Except for Jimmy Carter (and even that might be a stretch) what President DID challenge BIG FOOD?
Why must the First Black President be the first to do everything? You don't think asking him (and the first lady) to dismantle Monsanto and the rest might be a little too much, especially when the unemployment rate hovers between 5 and 6 percent. (Remember that rate only counts those who still go to the unemployment office. If you count those who have given up looking the rate is really 8-9%) Or when North Korea is testing Nuclear weapons. Or when there's a natural disaster or a mass shooting every week?
Those who have food, shelter, money, and education, have an enormous amount of time to think about these things. Many of us don't. Many Americans are just trying to survive and don't know if they'll make it to the end of the week and many of those people have children. Haven't you been following this election?
Why don't YOU try doing something for those people. The Obamas will be regular citizens in January you can ask them to join you.
Is he our Savior?
Except for Jimmy Carter (and even that might be a stretch) what President DID challenge BIG FOOD?
Why must the First Black President be the first to do everything? You don't think asking him (and the first lady) to dismantle Monsanto and the rest might be a little too much, especially when the unemployment rate hovers between 5 and 6 percent. (Remember that rate only counts those who still go to the unemployment office. If you count those who have given up looking the rate is really 8-9%) Or when North Korea is testing Nuclear weapons. Or when there's a natural disaster or a mass shooting every week?
Those who have food, shelter, money, and education, have an enormous amount of time to think about these things. Many of us don't. Many Americans are just trying to survive and don't know if they'll make it to the end of the week and many of those people have children. Haven't you been following this election?
Why don't YOU try doing something for those people. The Obamas will be regular citizens in January you can ask them to join you.
2
He was too busy playing politics. Her good efforts did not have any power behind.
2
Farmers are responsible for huge healthcare cost increases. Diabetes etc. No explanation for direct effect. We farmers provide cheap food so people eat more than they should. What a charletan to skip that step in the logic!!
I support Pollan's larger concerns and points, but his effort would be stronger if he didn't traffic in outdated science or GMO fear-mongering. There are no demonstrable direct health concerns related to GMOs. They may in fact help to reduce the use of some of the polluting practices he rightly bemoans. Might there be some concerning business (i.e. monopolistic) concerns related to GMOs? Yes, but he must better elaborate his point rather than throwing up GMOs as some rightly-feared general bogeyman.
Further, his emphasis on salt is confusing without his offering something to back up his insinuation of its malign health effects. Sodium is found in high quantities in processed foods, but in and of itself, it's impact on human health is far from clearly bad:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/
Further, his emphasis on salt is confusing without his offering something to back up his insinuation of its malign health effects. Sodium is found in high quantities in processed foods, but in and of itself, it's impact on human health is far from clearly bad:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/
3
Pollan manages to put every Berkeley myth about food and health into one article, an impressive feat. If there has ever been an article that would benefit from fact checking, this is it. The article comes across as a disingenuous bit of advocacy for Big Organic. I expect better from the NY Times.
For example, the leading cause of death among chronic diseases is heart disease, but heart disease deaths have by 68% on a per capita basis since 1969. There is absolutely no evidence that organic is more healthy for the consumer or for the environment than "factory food."
For example, the leading cause of death among chronic diseases is heart disease, but heart disease deaths have by 68% on a per capita basis since 1969. There is absolutely no evidence that organic is more healthy for the consumer or for the environment than "factory food."
4
why did those activists fail to go out and vote to toss the obstructionists in the Congress and Senate? Why are they going to do the same thing again this time?
Obama has faced a do nothing legislative branch. No, he's faced a 'do anything to obstruct' branch. He's had to pick battles he has a chance of winning. But the 'activists haven't helped. not at all.
Obama has faced a do nothing legislative branch. No, he's faced a 'do anything to obstruct' branch. He's had to pick battles he has a chance of winning. But the 'activists haven't helped. not at all.
Mr. Pollan:
I get the sub-headline suggesting it's the Obamas' fault even though that's not the gist of your article. But is it your intention to tip the scales for undecideds and disaffected Sanders' supporters so they have yet another reason to go third party or not vote because they have the impression that Obama and the Democrats are no better than Trump or his GOP enablers?
You teach journalism at Berkeley where you're a rock star. What's the takeaway for your students when you use a misleading headline designed to compel cynicism? And your readers? Good idea to make it seem like Big Food is so formidable that it's not worth trying? That even Obama caved? That political engagement and activism is futile?
Social change and instant gratification are mutually exclusive. Your work is part of a continuum that builds on earlier efforts, most recently Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet published in 1971. Fighting Big Food -- a separate nation with tens of millions of people, a seamless reality with its own economics, culture, worldview, politics and sense of purpose -- is a multi-generational cause. Scoring points mean little, except to slow the momentum of inevitable change.
Big Food is industrialized harm. It's unsustainable. Rejection and repudiation are already deeply rooted and over time will attain critical mass.
For too many this is a confusing year politically. Exploiting the confusion is cavalier and reckless.
I get the sub-headline suggesting it's the Obamas' fault even though that's not the gist of your article. But is it your intention to tip the scales for undecideds and disaffected Sanders' supporters so they have yet another reason to go third party or not vote because they have the impression that Obama and the Democrats are no better than Trump or his GOP enablers?
You teach journalism at Berkeley where you're a rock star. What's the takeaway for your students when you use a misleading headline designed to compel cynicism? And your readers? Good idea to make it seem like Big Food is so formidable that it's not worth trying? That even Obama caved? That political engagement and activism is futile?
Social change and instant gratification are mutually exclusive. Your work is part of a continuum that builds on earlier efforts, most recently Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet published in 1971. Fighting Big Food -- a separate nation with tens of millions of people, a seamless reality with its own economics, culture, worldview, politics and sense of purpose -- is a multi-generational cause. Scoring points mean little, except to slow the momentum of inevitable change.
Big Food is industrialized harm. It's unsustainable. Rejection and repudiation are already deeply rooted and over time will attain critical mass.
For too many this is a confusing year politically. Exploiting the confusion is cavalier and reckless.
7
"The Obamas?" Why did "the Obamas" fail to do this?
Not that she wouldn't be interested, but Michelle is First Lady. The elected officeholder is Barack. He's the one Obama about whom you might ask your question.
But to answer your question, I suspect "the Obamas" were busy. If "the Obamas" couldn't be bothered to take on the banks in light of 2008 and its lead-up, why should anyone think corporate agriculture was on their priorities list?
Not that she wouldn't be interested, but Michelle is First Lady. The elected officeholder is Barack. He's the one Obama about whom you might ask your question.
But to answer your question, I suspect "the Obamas" were busy. If "the Obamas" couldn't be bothered to take on the banks in light of 2008 and its lead-up, why should anyone think corporate agriculture was on their priorities list?
2
Nothing ever seems to get settled. Politics is like the entertainment industry--is it time for another remake of Batman? After all, there are a lot of kids around who've never heard of him.
Years ago, the debate on the power of the POTUS made it very clear that s/he might have a lot of power in foreign policy, but at home, all the POTUS has is a bully pulpit and a veto pen. One major disservice Trump has done to American democracy is to imply that as POTUS he would have the powers of a dictator like Putin. His primary oppondents gave the same impression. Moderators of debates and opinion writers buy into that unconstitutional fallacy.
Years ago, the debate on the power of the POTUS made it very clear that s/he might have a lot of power in foreign policy, but at home, all the POTUS has is a bully pulpit and a veto pen. One major disservice Trump has done to American democracy is to imply that as POTUS he would have the powers of a dictator like Putin. His primary oppondents gave the same impression. Moderators of debates and opinion writers buy into that unconstitutional fallacy.
1
One of the most valuable lessons a parent/grandparent can teach a child: how to grow vegetables. Children today don't know where their food comes from. Elementary schools should all have vegetable gardening as part of their curriculum and lunch menu.
5
So, count me in as one of those for whom Big Food's Brands have been ruined. I no longer buy products of General Mills (including their factory organic brands), General Foods, Kraft, Heinz and any others you care to think of. Every time they buy up an organic brand I cross that brand off my list. I go to two farmers' markets a week, have a local grain share and CSA, and only buy meat from farmers I know and trust. We eat a LOT less meat than we used to, and vegetarian at least half the week (and hardly ever eat out). My biggest purchases at supermarkets are dish and laundry detergent, paper goods and food storage products. And I'm boycotting Whole Foods for selling us out on GMO labeling. I hope this is the future of Big Food, but it will probably take a generation. Thank you, Michael Pollan, for opening my eyes with The Omnivore's Dilemma.
11
As long as Americans demand "cheap" products and "cheap" food the industrial complex will exist in a big way. Don't want to pay $10 for a pair of jeans anymore? Prefer to pay $125? Then buy local and shun Wal-Mart. Same thought pattern goes into food. I wish I had time to tend to a garden and grow my own food, can it, but I don't have that kind of time on my hands. Instead, I'll keep supporting the grocery where I live (choices are three large chains including Wal-Mart). And I'd prefer to pay $1.69 for my red peppers rather than $2.75. It always comes down to money.
3
The question was why he didn't win but rather WHY HE DIDNT TAKE THEM ON!
1
There were a lot of big issues Obama didn't take on. Big pharma. The VA. The DoD acquisition process. Cyber security. Infrastructure, e.g., roads and bridges and rails and tunnels. He has a kind of tunnel vision. I think he has no taste or feel for the management of the 3 trillion dollar enterprise we call the federal government. He remains at heart a community organizer and a con law professor.
1
Wait a minute. In 2014 President Obama signed the Farm Bill. This bill was over two years in the making and there are many aspects of it -put forward by the President, which aims to help small farms. Not only that, but the bill significantly curtailed the massive amount of farms subsidies that were pouring out of the US treasury. Something like 75% of these subsidies went to BIG AG. From the NY TIMES read: "In Signing Farm Bill, Obama Extols Rural Growth".
5
Mr. Pollard's work has added to our knowledge and discourse, but even his compete in the marketplace of ideas. While 'Big = Bad' resonates with some segments, others don't necessarily agree with that equation.
Food, commodities, energy costs are down. GMOs are increasing yields even in the poorest of countries and use of pesticides is down. Good for the Immokalee workers - they figured out how to come to agreements on wage concessions.
I call all that progress. Why would Mr. Pollard look for Washington to get involved?
Oh, and it turns out that the 'good' food movement is actually another version of the 'bad' food movement - a collection of disparate groups with their own peculiar agendas.
2
Johnny, I see you've been drinking the biotech KoolAid. GMOs are not increasing yields. GMO commodity crops are engineered to tolerate herbicides that would normally kill them, or to continually express insecticide. That's it. If a crop has higher yield, that is because of lucky weather conditions, to possibly because the corporation inserted their GMO traits into a seed that was bred by traditional means to have higher yields. Plus, if you look up USGS data about application of glyphosate herbicide (which is Roundup, the herbicide GMO crops are engineered to tolerate), use of it has INCREASED exponentially by tons each year since GMOs were introduced. As for insecticides, there is less spraying, but the insecticide has only been relocated into the cells of the plants. There is not less of it. Plus, GMO seeds are treated/coated with neonicotinoid insecticides, which seeds did not used to be, so that is additional insecticide. Nemonics persist in the soil, so build up each year. They have been identified as a major cause of massive bee die-offs. Sorry, but those are the facts, not agendas.
5
Hey, Obama, I'll bet you're reading this. Could you give us your perspective? And advice for the next administration?
I don't blame Obama for withdrawing his support of your article. I would do the same thing if I was accused of being "elitist" by a populist journalist.
2
Mr Pollan, I respect you enormously. I completely agree with your well known "eat food, not too much, mostly plants".
In today's world however, eating real food is almost impossible UNLESS you are a small farmer and have the luxury (and hard work required) of raising and growing your family's foods, or you have a huge piece of land which allows you to 'grow' real food, mostly plants; and those pieces of land are usually planting for profit.
I live in a suburb, northeastern US. Weather alone is an issue for me. My food comes from the nearby supermarket ... how real is that food? Trust me, I will not be growing my own plant food any time soon.
To think, better yet, to hope, that any ONE person has the power to control, regulate, influence, direct a $1.5 trillion industry is ... naive to say the least.
I wish it were true, but I know it isn't. I wish our President had the power you seem to think a president has. Presidents do not pass laws. Congress does. Have you read about our dysfunctional Congress?
That Mr Obama the candidate was inquisitive enough, and read your article, is astounding in 2016.
That Mrs. Obama planted a vegetable garden in the White House is admirable. and it's proof that both Obamas took your 2008 Open Letter quite seriously.
I hope to read more from you. You're an inspiration and a welcome voice in our too loud, too ignorant, too sick, too greedy, too business-minded society. We willfully ignore individual's needs, at our own peril.
In today's world however, eating real food is almost impossible UNLESS you are a small farmer and have the luxury (and hard work required) of raising and growing your family's foods, or you have a huge piece of land which allows you to 'grow' real food, mostly plants; and those pieces of land are usually planting for profit.
I live in a suburb, northeastern US. Weather alone is an issue for me. My food comes from the nearby supermarket ... how real is that food? Trust me, I will not be growing my own plant food any time soon.
To think, better yet, to hope, that any ONE person has the power to control, regulate, influence, direct a $1.5 trillion industry is ... naive to say the least.
I wish it were true, but I know it isn't. I wish our President had the power you seem to think a president has. Presidents do not pass laws. Congress does. Have you read about our dysfunctional Congress?
That Mr Obama the candidate was inquisitive enough, and read your article, is astounding in 2016.
That Mrs. Obama planted a vegetable garden in the White House is admirable. and it's proof that both Obamas took your 2008 Open Letter quite seriously.
I hope to read more from you. You're an inspiration and a welcome voice in our too loud, too ignorant, too sick, too greedy, too business-minded society. We willfully ignore individual's needs, at our own peril.
3
Social change and instant gratification are mutually exclusive.
When Frances Moore Lappe wrote Diet for a Small Planet in 1971 she rang the first bell of the modern food reform movement, much like Rachel Carson did for modern environmentalism with Silent Spring. Michael Pollan is a potent next wave of a slow moving but inevitable landscape altering tsunami that is building momentum but will not make landfall for generations, not presidential terms.
To think otherwise is to deny what's meant by Big Food -- an immense social, cultural, economic, educational and political system populated by tens of millions of people invested in it as a way of life, an all encompassing worldview that excludes all else. Big Food is de facto Big Church so non-believers, skeptics, critics are apostates, heretics, Satanic food cultists to be crucified. Big becomes bully.
Meaningful change won't come from a piece of legislation, aggressive regulatory enforcement, or some shift in public policy. Otherwise it wouldn't be Big Food, and a whole new food ecology would have emerged by now.
But the trends are clear and unstoppable. "Little Food" as Pollan calls it is already a $50 billion reality and growing. Cracks in Big Food are widening. No amount of agit/prop from Ketchum PR can sustain the unsustainable. If Big Food didn't learn anything from Big Tobacco, then their fate is sealed. Industrialized harm is suicide in slo-mo.
Hearts and minds are changing. Stomachs will follow.
When Frances Moore Lappe wrote Diet for a Small Planet in 1971 she rang the first bell of the modern food reform movement, much like Rachel Carson did for modern environmentalism with Silent Spring. Michael Pollan is a potent next wave of a slow moving but inevitable landscape altering tsunami that is building momentum but will not make landfall for generations, not presidential terms.
To think otherwise is to deny what's meant by Big Food -- an immense social, cultural, economic, educational and political system populated by tens of millions of people invested in it as a way of life, an all encompassing worldview that excludes all else. Big Food is de facto Big Church so non-believers, skeptics, critics are apostates, heretics, Satanic food cultists to be crucified. Big becomes bully.
Meaningful change won't come from a piece of legislation, aggressive regulatory enforcement, or some shift in public policy. Otherwise it wouldn't be Big Food, and a whole new food ecology would have emerged by now.
But the trends are clear and unstoppable. "Little Food" as Pollan calls it is already a $50 billion reality and growing. Cracks in Big Food are widening. No amount of agit/prop from Ketchum PR can sustain the unsustainable. If Big Food didn't learn anything from Big Tobacco, then their fate is sealed. Industrialized harm is suicide in slo-mo.
Hearts and minds are changing. Stomachs will follow.
12
Challenging Big Food is like challenging Big Pharma.
An assortment of self interested parties/lobbyists/junk food consortiums, are charged to sell Twinkies and Doritos.
But what if instead, these junk food marketers sold carrots and broccoli?
An assortment of self interested parties/lobbyists/junk food consortiums, are charged to sell Twinkies and Doritos.
But what if instead, these junk food marketers sold carrots and broccoli?
1
Yup, yet again, it is all President Obama's fault. As our Dear Future Maximum Leader Bone Spur Field Marshall Donald Trump never tires telling us. It keeps him awake, tweeting through the night at times!
But seriously:
Corporate Agriculture, despite all of its shortcomings, increases the purchasing power of a regular family, and allows it to enjoy items that only the upper crust could have afforded merely a few years ago. Just check your local WalMart or CostCo, and compare it - quantity, price and quality - that was available to anyone anyplace about a decade or more ago.
But seriously:
Corporate Agriculture, despite all of its shortcomings, increases the purchasing power of a regular family, and allows it to enjoy items that only the upper crust could have afforded merely a few years ago. Just check your local WalMart or CostCo, and compare it - quantity, price and quality - that was available to anyone anyplace about a decade or more ago.
4
It amazes me to this day that special interest groups bemoan all the things that President Obama did not do for them. They seem to forget that it takes a majority of votes to pass the legislation that they seek. Nevermind dealing with an obstructionist Republican party as well.
5
Big Food is also cheap food, and its easier these days to see how cheap food can easily lead to the undoing of mankind, fake substances like msg, splenda, HFCS, carageenan and the like (yoga mat chemicals) somehow allowed to infiltrate and dominate processed food production. Transition periods are always difficult, generations coming up are already concerned about where the food comes from, so lets hope the pendulum swings away from industrial production towards a more reasonable, regenerative approach than the CAFOs as horrid environmental polluters, promoting antibiotic resistance, and mono-crop growers seriously damaging air, soils, and water quality. With enormous amounts of pesticides and herbicides currently being used, Big Ag is a polluter of incomparable proportion, and better viewed as promoting negative environmental influence. Individuals can do better by finding ways to withdraw support, well before our environment no long sustains humans or plants. Time is of the essence.
2
The food industry's with the Obamas is right out of the Inside the Beltway PR Manual (IBPRM). The premise, no matter who occupies the White House, is to curry favor with the Administration to make it appear that Big Food, or Big Pharma, or Big Cable, et. al, is serious about reform and becoming more consumer-focused.
It is all hogwash and always has been. As Pollan rightly points out, concentration in the overall food industry has been ongoing for decades and shows no signs of stopping. This process aggregates political power in fewer firms, and increases the industry's ability to ignore consumers on matters of quality, sourcing and nutritional value. The PR stunts with the White House are undertaken to portray the industry as concerned with consumer health, which it definitely is not (too expensive).
What is desparately needed is an aggressive Justice Department that will take a close hard look at food industry consolidation. Blocking some food company mergers that do nothing to improve the quality of our food supply would go a long way in prodding Big Food to begin looking at more consumer-oriented products.
It is all hogwash and always has been. As Pollan rightly points out, concentration in the overall food industry has been ongoing for decades and shows no signs of stopping. This process aggregates political power in fewer firms, and increases the industry's ability to ignore consumers on matters of quality, sourcing and nutritional value. The PR stunts with the White House are undertaken to portray the industry as concerned with consumer health, which it definitely is not (too expensive).
What is desparately needed is an aggressive Justice Department that will take a close hard look at food industry consolidation. Blocking some food company mergers that do nothing to improve the quality of our food supply would go a long way in prodding Big Food to begin looking at more consumer-oriented products.
2
This year too, the candidates are nt really talking about anything important to me. Sure, a little chit chat about income inequality, Syria. ISIS and other problems the USA Government caused.
Not a peep about overpopulation, food, Sex trade/ sex slaves, human rights. The environment. The oceans. Not a peep.
Not a peep about overpopulation, food, Sex trade/ sex slaves, human rights. The environment. The oceans. Not a peep.
7
I have followed Mr. Pollan for some time now, and though he is often a lone voice in the wilderness, things are changing. And, as he points out, it's because of grass roots movements. My metro area is teeming with new grocery store models, farm markets, restaurants that feature organic and 'farm to market' foods. Animal cruelty is being challenged and farmers who wish to be 'represented' by many newer, smaller grocery stores are local and must adhere to certain standards. I think the food/chemical industry's cries that we are headed for a food/calorie shortage is hysterical. The vast majority of Americans, myself included, eat two or three times the calories they need to be healthy. So, we all know what happens next.... agri-business and 'big food' will have to adapt or die. That means, they'll start peddling their wares on unsuspecting third-world nations who may, indeed, have a calorie shortage. It happened with tobacco; it happened with baby formula; it will happen more and more with processed food. Those societies will pay a price, but at least they won't be 'hungry,' right?
8
Is it not about time, even PAST time, for our government to take back our government from the Conglomerates? First thing you know the "biggies" will be running the military and the Pentagon if they are not already doing so........At this time you can substitute most any business ID word in the title of this article: Big FOOD to BIG ________(any business).
3
Isn't it wonderful how "free marketers" don't like truly free markets:
Many buyers and sellers
Both buyers and sellers free to enter or leave the market
Both buyers and sellers having all the information they need to make a decision
No externalities, ALL costs are paid for in the transaction.
When are politicians going to stop listening to these "free marketers". Adam Smith warned in "Wealth of Nations" that those who live by profit are not to be trusted.
Many buyers and sellers
Both buyers and sellers free to enter or leave the market
Both buyers and sellers having all the information they need to make a decision
No externalities, ALL costs are paid for in the transaction.
When are politicians going to stop listening to these "free marketers". Adam Smith warned in "Wealth of Nations" that those who live by profit are not to be trusted.
3
Overpopulation. Most of human problems, especially related to the environment, are result of the overpopulation. Lots of mouths to feed, bodies to clothe, homes to provide, etc. etc. Enough said.
2
Mr. Obama's legacy -- ACA Healthcare -- is a failure.
Ms. Obama's signature -- Big Food -- is unsuccessful.
What a waste of 8 years.
Ms. Obama's signature -- Big Food -- is unsuccessful.
What a waste of 8 years.
Texas legacy--Afghanistan, Iraq, ISIS...thanks a lot Mr, Bush,
1
With the recent announcement from one of the Big Pharma companies unilaterrally quitting the ACA and this ongoing issue with the agri/food industry, is there now any doubt whatsoever as to who really controls America because from where I sit, it sure isn't it's "elected" politicians and government. During the first two years of his administration, Obama had a majority in both the senate and house, yet, he did't deal with this issue, no bankster fraudsters were ever prosecuted nor were limiitations on CEO pay packets enacted. Add to that, the public option of the ACA was discarded. The issues listed above that affect Americans on a daily basis continue to be ignored.
As usual, follow the money and you will always find your answer.
As usual, follow the money and you will always find your answer.
3
It's like the Vonnegutian spaceship that was fueled by sucking the life out of living planets, their screaming dying the background music to the interplanetary travel. Or was that Douglas Adams? the screaming tortuous life and deaths of these beings are what our culture is based upon. i cannot see how anyone can ever change that human nature to want to eat a roasted chicken, no matter how harrowing it's life, its childrens death, it's own personal death, realized as you eat it's legs and breasts..And the hideous impact on the earth, in terms of the massive quantities of pig/cow/chicken poop that we pretend is dealt with in huge holding tanks, and is really just a disaster poised for release, worse than any terrorist attack.
1
'What is happening to our food', I asked an old-timer in the rural area. 'The Government is putting hormones in it', he replied, as I lifted a French fry from his plate and looked at my expensive rare hamburger at the local diner, an 'organic' one.
Food in America has always been Bigger and richer than Europe. When my husband and I returned from Ireland in 1970, we always were able to afford the prices. Today, even if we lived rent-free in the City, it would be impossible.
America is becoming enormous, and we have poverty 'Obesity' to deal with. A visitor past 42 was having for breakfast a Diet Soda and a poisonous-looking cup-cake? The list of additives is difficult to pronounce, and taking the kids to a fast-food joint may be fun but probably has become a habit for many tired Americans.
'Why is this roast chicken sweet, what is corn syrup, why all these additives?', I keep wondering. How is it possible that lettuce lasts in plastic containers for two weeks? Walking the empty aisle of sugary treats and candy, the variety and size of potato chip bags and donuts for less than $5 are overwhelming.
The President and The First Lady have been exemplary in directing attention to feeding children in a nutritious way. Why place the onus on The President who is not about to control our eating habits? We can not even get guns out of our house.
Blame the Advertising Companies for starters. One of these days, we will be eating plastic food and starving.
Food in America has always been Bigger and richer than Europe. When my husband and I returned from Ireland in 1970, we always were able to afford the prices. Today, even if we lived rent-free in the City, it would be impossible.
America is becoming enormous, and we have poverty 'Obesity' to deal with. A visitor past 42 was having for breakfast a Diet Soda and a poisonous-looking cup-cake? The list of additives is difficult to pronounce, and taking the kids to a fast-food joint may be fun but probably has become a habit for many tired Americans.
'Why is this roast chicken sweet, what is corn syrup, why all these additives?', I keep wondering. How is it possible that lettuce lasts in plastic containers for two weeks? Walking the empty aisle of sugary treats and candy, the variety and size of potato chip bags and donuts for less than $5 are overwhelming.
The President and The First Lady have been exemplary in directing attention to feeding children in a nutritious way. Why place the onus on The President who is not about to control our eating habits? We can not even get guns out of our house.
Blame the Advertising Companies for starters. One of these days, we will be eating plastic food and starving.
2
Let us also celebrate some successes - like the one about one mom's movement about the artificial coloring added to Kraft Mac and Cheese. Kraft finally dropped the artificial ingredient!
5
Challenging Big Food is like challenging Big Pharma.
From Twinkies to Doritos to Martin Shkreli.
From Twinkies to Doritos to Martin Shkreli.
3
In my state, a bill to label GMOs in food was defeated, although there was almost unanimous support among voters. When I asked my state representative why he did not support the bill, he said that the state could not afford the costs of a law suit by "Big Food". Is this the way a democracy works? Legislators afraid to pass a bill because they might be sued by a special interest group?
8
"In my state, a bill to label GMOs in food was defeated,"....Good, because the whole anti GMO thing is a fraud. For the record, a greater percentage of scientists support GMOs than climate change. GMOs are not about special interests unless you mean the people who think labeling should be required. Inform yourself. Read up on genetics.
2
Well than, if GMOs are such a wondrous thing, why doesn't Big Ag proudly label their products "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS GMOs" We will then see how many people want GMOs in their family's food. In the meantime, enjoy your heaping dose of glyphosate with your high-fructose corn syrup.
2
sure but why not label? as a scientist who has read up on GMO i would like to at least know what types of foodstuffs i am eating.
3
Whin I moved to Iowa some 17 years ago from the deep south, I was struck by the valorization of industrial agriculture (a reverence reserved in my home region for football coaches and christian dominionist judges). In the areas were agriculture makes the largest impacts the corporate interests are nearly all powerful. The State of Iowa sneakily avoids EPA requirements for controlling agricultural runoff- blaming golf courses and deer with dirty hoofs for the sorry state of the water. Big Ag is not a collection of small, family farms with baseball fields in the corn, but profit-driven enterprises like any other than should be held to account for the collatoral damage of their activities- but since Wall Street never is either, I doubt it will ever improve.
5
Changing the "food system" implies moving the behavior of many actors, including consumers. Saying "big agriculture" just misses a lot of the picture.
Politically, it is possible that modifying some aspects of agriculture can imply an increase in the food price. Who is willing to pay the political cost of the accusation of pushing up the price of food?
Production wise, and regarding the allusions to organic production, some qualifications are needed. Nobody wants to eat pesticides, I presume, a high point of organic agriculture. But organic agriculture uses "organic nutrients" as fertilizers that come in part from animal manure. And from where does the manure come from? From grain produced with regular chemical fertilizers. So it is really getting nutrients from fertilizer, just in two steps. If there is no manure source, organic ag becomes extremely expensive.
All the practices that corner farmers or any economic actor into actions that they disagree, or the practices that fleece farmers and benefit industry alone are deplorable. So are the pollution issues problems associated with large scale agriculture. Many of these problems can be addressed. But anybody addressing these issues should compare against the alternative, not against living with the poor agricultural technology of the middle age.
Politically, it is possible that modifying some aspects of agriculture can imply an increase in the food price. Who is willing to pay the political cost of the accusation of pushing up the price of food?
Production wise, and regarding the allusions to organic production, some qualifications are needed. Nobody wants to eat pesticides, I presume, a high point of organic agriculture. But organic agriculture uses "organic nutrients" as fertilizers that come in part from animal manure. And from where does the manure come from? From grain produced with regular chemical fertilizers. So it is really getting nutrients from fertilizer, just in two steps. If there is no manure source, organic ag becomes extremely expensive.
All the practices that corner farmers or any economic actor into actions that they disagree, or the practices that fleece farmers and benefit industry alone are deplorable. So are the pollution issues problems associated with large scale agriculture. Many of these problems can be addressed. But anybody addressing these issues should compare against the alternative, not against living with the poor agricultural technology of the middle age.
Go Vegan
6
Enjoy your nutrient deficiencies and sarcopenia.
In the agriculture picture, if we are growing and eating only plants, how are those plants getting fertilized? Traditional and sustainable forms of agriculture have used plants and animals together.
In the agriculture picture, if we are growing and eating only plants, how are those plants getting fertilized? Traditional and sustainable forms of agriculture have used plants and animals together.
Why? Everyone I know past 80s and 90s are Omnivores. An international public health expert once suggested that I go Vegan, and within ten days I was white as a sheet. Speaking of ghosts, Halloween is nearly here. There is an overabundance of junk candy for kiddies of all ages, and there is no need for the NYT to publish this comment, but many of us remember the days when dressed as little angels and demons, we carried a small orange and white box from UNICEF. Could the NYTimes on the side, place a reminder to bring these back? Many thanks.
2
You should be better educated. It is relatively easy to become vegan or vegetarian and obtain all of the protein and other nutrients needed for a healthy life. I say that as someone who isn't even vegan- but hates to see the disinformation that is constantly spread.
2
3-party Congress.
2
Bravo, Michael Pollan, from one who mostly grows her own, shops @ her LOCAL farmers market, or when forced to shop @ her local megamart, peruses the back of the "package" for sugar & sodium content.
2
Industrialized food is expensive unhealthy crap this is killing Americans by making them obese and in many other ways. It is highly subsidized by us the taxpayer and is another example of how our government is bought by large corporations. Industrialized food production is not more efficient, it does maximize return on investment and shareholder value. The best route to healthier food is organic, local and non-GMO.
7
"Industrialized food is expensive unhealthy crap this is killing Americans by making them obese"...but only if you eat too much and refuse to exercise.
1
Big meat, big food, big anything...! They have the money, Congress, the mayors... But so it has always been. We're all entitled to throw our hands up in resignation, but that doesn't help. We're all also free to decide stuff for ourselves--what we eat, what we wear, what we watch on TV, or to scrap corporate TV... The poor are not so free in their choices. So we're left with another thing Obama said recently. In short, he dismissed the idea that the Framers left us a perfect document. Especially not for African Americans. But things have improved.
Those who live in the bubble of Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, and Leave it To Beaver should read some history. Most Americans have always had to struggle. (The "war on coal" began after WWI when the US navy mothballed a lot of ships, and later, when the navy and the railroads switched to oil.) The period after WWII was an aberration in that it was a prosperous era for all. It was not the norm.
"Push-back" was Obama’s term. Workers' Parties, Labor Parties, and Unions have been pushing back for over a century. We need to find the pressure points that work in this globalized era and do a lot more pushing back. It starts with the POTUS, then the SCOTUS...
Those who live in the bubble of Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, and Leave it To Beaver should read some history. Most Americans have always had to struggle. (The "war on coal" began after WWI when the US navy mothballed a lot of ships, and later, when the navy and the railroads switched to oil.) The period after WWII was an aberration in that it was a prosperous era for all. It was not the norm.
"Push-back" was Obama’s term. Workers' Parties, Labor Parties, and Unions have been pushing back for over a century. We need to find the pressure points that work in this globalized era and do a lot more pushing back. It starts with the POTUS, then the SCOTUS...
3
Thank you, MP, for the thorough analysis! And, kudos to Michelle Obama. These are achievements indeed, but what a monumental job we have before us with battles on every front. We need a national movement centered around a single issue to get the undivided attention of politicians, the public and big food.
Why haven't we built that singular ginormous movement that will get people talking? We (as in environmentalists, public-health, animal-welfare and social-justice advocates) need to take a cue from Big Meat. They spent $9 million on lobbying in 2010. Or, take a cue from Donald Trump. The man has nearly won the highest office in the country largely due to his serendipitous prowess with Twitter.
Our failure to fight "Big Food Policy" is due to our inability to communicate the issues in a way that politicians understand: Money. Many of our political leaders haven't a clue that colossal healthcare costs for cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease - and virtually everything else, is essentially tied to Big Food. So I'll make it simple: Big Food = Big Healthcare Expenses.
So let's take charge advocates. Come up with a unified public campaign to communicate these issues to politicians and the public. I suggest starting with the $956 billion farm bill. And, instituting a self-imposed ban against processed foods challenging people to grow victory gardens and keep their hard-earned money local by eating local.
Why haven't we built that singular ginormous movement that will get people talking? We (as in environmentalists, public-health, animal-welfare and social-justice advocates) need to take a cue from Big Meat. They spent $9 million on lobbying in 2010. Or, take a cue from Donald Trump. The man has nearly won the highest office in the country largely due to his serendipitous prowess with Twitter.
Our failure to fight "Big Food Policy" is due to our inability to communicate the issues in a way that politicians understand: Money. Many of our political leaders haven't a clue that colossal healthcare costs for cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease - and virtually everything else, is essentially tied to Big Food. So I'll make it simple: Big Food = Big Healthcare Expenses.
So let's take charge advocates. Come up with a unified public campaign to communicate these issues to politicians and the public. I suggest starting with the $956 billion farm bill. And, instituting a self-imposed ban against processed foods challenging people to grow victory gardens and keep their hard-earned money local by eating local.
5
Thanks for a great article. I wrote a research paper in 1972, now lost to time, about the ability of the earth to support its growing population by switching to a non-corn. low chemical agriculture and examining the energy/nutritional costs of such massive crops as tobacco as well. 40+ years I see how free enterprise has fouled up the system, the continued loss of valuable top soils, the destruction of the earth's forest, etc.
The only person that was going to address this and many other issues, (I don't necessarily mean fix), was Bernie Sanders. The broken health care system, political financing (pay for play), gouging by pharmaceutical companies, the crumbling infrastructure, the need to shift to a cleaner energy system and rebuild the grid... the list seems endless.
Mankind can be lazy. We spend a lot of time surviving our lives instead of living them. Our responsibilities sap us of the energy that it takes to do something small together so that the effects may be large. At the end of the week, we want to balance out our work with something enjoyable. It's how we're wired.
Hopeful sign? Large scale organic farming is evolving in the NW. Big old Cosco is offering more organic choices (along with smaller grocery stores) at competitive prices. Urban dwellers are re-discovering how to grow some of their own food in their backyards. Example? We freeze six months worth of organic tomatoes that we grow in our deep beds.
It's the least that we can do. One seed at a time...
The only person that was going to address this and many other issues, (I don't necessarily mean fix), was Bernie Sanders. The broken health care system, political financing (pay for play), gouging by pharmaceutical companies, the crumbling infrastructure, the need to shift to a cleaner energy system and rebuild the grid... the list seems endless.
Mankind can be lazy. We spend a lot of time surviving our lives instead of living them. Our responsibilities sap us of the energy that it takes to do something small together so that the effects may be large. At the end of the week, we want to balance out our work with something enjoyable. It's how we're wired.
Hopeful sign? Large scale organic farming is evolving in the NW. Big old Cosco is offering more organic choices (along with smaller grocery stores) at competitive prices. Urban dwellers are re-discovering how to grow some of their own food in their backyards. Example? We freeze six months worth of organic tomatoes that we grow in our deep beds.
It's the least that we can do. One seed at a time...
9
Crooked Corporate America befriends Crooked House and Senate.
5
Food is a high volume low margin business. It has developed in this way as a response to public demand. When/if the public demands change and low margin is no longer important to the consumer, then and only then can the business become viable at a lower volume. And I might add that can't happen until many thousands of people who have moved to the city for better jobs decide they would rather work for lower wages down on the farm.
2
This is why I only eat industrial food from as far away as possible
1
give me a break--obviously the author hasn't done his homework--NOT NEARLY--WHAT COULD OBAMA DO??? START BY NOT NOMINATING A MONSANTO PERSON TO HEAD UP OR ADVISE HIM ON "BIG AG".....I didn't read the article--who needs to when that's the title--the author belies, with that, not only his lack of knowledge but his political toadyism as well--the author is welcome to write me back at [email protected] he could start to educate himself with
USDA Watch - Organic Consumers Association
www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/usda_watch.php Cached
USDA Watch. Search OCA. ... As Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack was a leading advocate for Monsanto, ... Author Michael Pollan on Vilsack: "The ...
How did Barack Obama become Monsanto's man in Washington ...
www.infowars.com/how-did-barack-obama-become-monsantos... Cached
I’ve previously published Obama’s track record as Monsanto’s number-one political supporter in America. ... the infamous Michael Taylor, ... Tom Vilsack
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack: Too much Monsanto in the Mix?
www.opednews.com/articles/Ag-Secretary-Announced-To-by... Cached
Article: Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack: Too much Monsanto in the Mix? - Too good a friend of Monsanto and BioTech, this may be truly a bad appointment, particularly since ... ---
better luck next time--so much for being an authority on this--and from BERKELEY too--guess you're not in the true Berkeley tradition
USDA Watch - Organic Consumers Association
www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/usda_watch.php Cached
USDA Watch. Search OCA. ... As Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack was a leading advocate for Monsanto, ... Author Michael Pollan on Vilsack: "The ...
How did Barack Obama become Monsanto's man in Washington ...
www.infowars.com/how-did-barack-obama-become-monsantos... Cached
I’ve previously published Obama’s track record as Monsanto’s number-one political supporter in America. ... the infamous Michael Taylor, ... Tom Vilsack
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack: Too much Monsanto in the Mix?
www.opednews.com/articles/Ag-Secretary-Announced-To-by... Cached
Article: Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack: Too much Monsanto in the Mix? - Too good a friend of Monsanto and BioTech, this may be truly a bad appointment, particularly since ... ---
better luck next time--so much for being an authority on this--and from BERKELEY too--guess you're not in the true Berkeley tradition
10
ruth--Consumers can change this. We already ARE changing it. If I don't like it, I don't buy it. Principle, and personal responsibility, determines most of what I buy. Some people can't afford that, some are too lazy to be bothered, but we all have choices.
1
No doubt, as with all the other Obama initiatives, our cooperative Republican Congress would have stood four square behind the president's proposals to fix our food system.
11
Less than two weeks ago, you published an outstanding article from a Professor Lusk on the dire environmental and resource use consequences of 'small food'. Here's the link: http://nyti.ms/2dLhigm
Did the author of this article even bother to take a look at it? Do editors at the NYT not bother to read each others' sections?
The only ones who whine and moan about 'big' food are those who have the money, leisure time, and privilege to hang out in farmers' markets and in the overpriced, environmentally unfriendly organics section of fancy grocery stores.
As for the rest of us heathens, please allow us to get good nutrition and put food on the table for our families at a reasonable price. Thank you.
Did the author of this article even bother to take a look at it? Do editors at the NYT not bother to read each others' sections?
The only ones who whine and moan about 'big' food are those who have the money, leisure time, and privilege to hang out in farmers' markets and in the overpriced, environmentally unfriendly organics section of fancy grocery stores.
As for the rest of us heathens, please allow us to get good nutrition and put food on the table for our families at a reasonable price. Thank you.
32
"Whine and moan" "overpriced organics", wow, I can't think of a base you didn't touch.
If you're not being paid as a FoodInc. shill, you're missing out. Get on the payroll, and you too might "hang out at farmer's markets" and eat well into the bargain!
If you're not being paid as a FoodInc. shill, you're missing out. Get on the payroll, and you too might "hang out at farmer's markets" and eat well into the bargain!
3
Wise well-informed commenting like this is one of the important reasons why I read the NY Times.
@Whatever
Is there an issue with The Times publishing two different points of view? Some might appreciate the balance so they can decide for themselves. Leisure time, money and privilege to hang out in farmers' market? Farmer's markets were originally places people went to buy inexpensive fresh produce directly from growers and in many cities that's still the case. Leisure time? Most Americans spend hours on a couch watching TV, others like to spend hours at gun shows, or dirt bike racing, or watching pornography on their computers, or play online video games that go on for days, or driving hours to a football game, or nursing 100 proof beverages in dank, dark bars. Indeed, who has time to hang out at the organic food section for five minutes putting vegetables in a basket?
As for allowing you to get good nutrition for your families at a reasonable price, consider a diet of fast food -- nutrition commensurate with the bargain price you pay -- or even just rice, beans and broccoli every day.
Your problem appears to be less about food than attitude. Though that good and cheap nutrition you're putting on the table for your family might be related to your cantankerous response to information you find uncomfortable for whatever reason.
The only whining and moaning I hear is from someone who can easily gorge on as much Big Food as you want while criticizing those of us who don't confuse shopping at Walmart for cheap imports from China with feeding our families.
Is there an issue with The Times publishing two different points of view? Some might appreciate the balance so they can decide for themselves. Leisure time, money and privilege to hang out in farmers' market? Farmer's markets were originally places people went to buy inexpensive fresh produce directly from growers and in many cities that's still the case. Leisure time? Most Americans spend hours on a couch watching TV, others like to spend hours at gun shows, or dirt bike racing, or watching pornography on their computers, or play online video games that go on for days, or driving hours to a football game, or nursing 100 proof beverages in dank, dark bars. Indeed, who has time to hang out at the organic food section for five minutes putting vegetables in a basket?
As for allowing you to get good nutrition for your families at a reasonable price, consider a diet of fast food -- nutrition commensurate with the bargain price you pay -- or even just rice, beans and broccoli every day.
Your problem appears to be less about food than attitude. Though that good and cheap nutrition you're putting on the table for your family might be related to your cantankerous response to information you find uncomfortable for whatever reason.
The only whining and moaning I hear is from someone who can easily gorge on as much Big Food as you want while criticizing those of us who don't confuse shopping at Walmart for cheap imports from China with feeding our families.
1
I've said for many years that President Obama's supporters are just as blind as President Bush's were. The comments on this page are proof of that pudding.
15
linda5--Well, as long as you're comfortable with your irrefutable correctness.
4
What one of Clinton's endless army of consultants spends on lunch could feed a family of four for a week but don't let that dissuade you from volunteering, chumps.
13
Stan, my man--Are you angry about something? Don't hold back. Tell us what you think, even if if really has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton, at this moment.
2
Sounds great --- what you eat has a lot to do with how you think. You, my dear friend, are clearly of the greasy cheeseburger and synthetic "milk" shake Out to Lunch Bunch a la Donald Trump. Bon Appetite!
1
Don't expect significant changes to entrenched institutions from top-down processes. Unfortunately, our leaders can not do it. Popular writers, like this author, might have better luck.
Maybe the satisfaction we get from eating should not come from 'getting our fill'. If we incorporate food production, preparation, and tasting into our lives we're likely to make good choices as consumers - and the marketplace might just react.
Maybe the satisfaction we get from eating should not come from 'getting our fill'. If we incorporate food production, preparation, and tasting into our lives we're likely to make good choices as consumers - and the marketplace might just react.
9
carl--I agree. Bottom up starts with us.
3
For starters we can turn out front lawns (if we have one) into organic gardens to feed our families fresh vegetables. Use raised beds with good soil if you've ruined the soil in your front yard from fertilizing and growing a lawn.
1
"Why did the Obamas Fail to Take On Corporate Agriculture?"
It's interesting that the Obamas were referenced, since the First Lady has made healthy eating arguably her chief cause. But I'm going to focus my comment on the President, since he was the one with the opportunity to actually do anything on this issue. He failed to take on corporate agriculture for the same reason that he failed to take on Wall Street, or Big Pharma, or Big Insurance, or any number of other corporate interests. Their well-being came first to him. The well-being of ordinary people came second. In that respect, he's perfectly emblematic of the Democratic Party establishment of the past 25 years, which has been very eager to show that they can be just as friendly to corporate and wealthy interests as the Republican Party.
It's interesting that the Obamas were referenced, since the First Lady has made healthy eating arguably her chief cause. But I'm going to focus my comment on the President, since he was the one with the opportunity to actually do anything on this issue. He failed to take on corporate agriculture for the same reason that he failed to take on Wall Street, or Big Pharma, or Big Insurance, or any number of other corporate interests. Their well-being came first to him. The well-being of ordinary people came second. In that respect, he's perfectly emblematic of the Democratic Party establishment of the past 25 years, which has been very eager to show that they can be just as friendly to corporate and wealthy interests as the Republican Party.
7
Excellent article. What America has - and what many other countries do not - is the marketplace where the consumer drives the change. Keep pushing Big Food off the plate, consumers. Our health and the health of our planet depend on it.
15
Michael Pollan is still at his foodie activism with its far-left, paranoid flavor, & its dumbed-down political categorizations. What he & other foodies, like Alice Waters & food writer, Mark Bittman, want is for America to return to a mythical food production universe that they believe resembles what we had in the mid-1800s. In this mythical place, thousands of small farms produce heirloom, organic produce & sell it locally to their towns & cities. This locavore activism ignores every hurdle in its path, including that fact that almost nobody anywhere in the U.S. is able to eat locally-produced food only, nor do they want to.
Do you drink orange juice in the morning? What about coffee? Unless you live in Hawaii, neither of these products could be grown and consumed anywhere near where you live. Florida you say? They don't grow coffee beans in any significant quantity. And none of this even mentions that your locally grown food is going to cost you significantly more than what you are paying now, unless you are already a wealthy foodie who shops for absurdly expensive food at high-end, locavore farms, specialty-food shops & farmers' markets. No, we aren't returning to a mythical food culture that never existed, & won't anytime in the near future. The advent of better roads, improved transportation methods, & refrigeration, along with widespread use of fertilizers and pesticides in farming is what gave us the inexpensive food we now consume. Forget foodie activism.
13
Utopia is something to aspire to, if it wasn't for those people you appear to scoff at
we wouldn't have the choices we do now.
Pragmatism is needed but giving up because it's hard is for loosers.
we wouldn't have the choices we do now.
Pragmatism is needed but giving up because it's hard is for loosers.
3
It's here in Vermont, and it's working.
2
The advent of better roads, improved transportation methods, & refrigeration, along with widespread use of fertilizers and pesticides in farming is what gave us the inexpensive food we now consume." It also gives us the "food" that's killing us. Who would want that?
5
President Obama has worked tirelessly and valiantly to do good for this country - and has been thwarted at every turn by Republican legislators who were clear about their intension to oppose him at best and "ruin" him at worst.
President Obama's efforts and actions have been sabotaged by the powerful financial and corporate sector.
And there has been an ongoing cascade of international catastrophe, violence, deprivation etc. to deal with.
And yet we the people - many of us who don't even bother to vote let alone participate in some civic activity to support our President - are quick to complain about anything President Obama has not done.
President Obama's efforts and actions have been sabotaged by the powerful financial and corporate sector.
And there has been an ongoing cascade of international catastrophe, violence, deprivation etc. to deal with.
And yet we the people - many of us who don't even bother to vote let alone participate in some civic activity to support our President - are quick to complain about anything President Obama has not done.
6
"President Obama's efforts and actions have been sabotaged by the powerful financial and corporate sector."
No they weren't, because those efforts and actions were in aid of the financial and corporate sector. He made it a point to be their best friend during his presidency, even when it would have served the greater good to fight them instead. That's what people are complaining about. It's not about what he didn't do. It's about what he didn't even try to do and the fact that, in the end, he was for the 1% more than then 99%.
No they weren't, because those efforts and actions were in aid of the financial and corporate sector. He made it a point to be their best friend during his presidency, even when it would have served the greater good to fight them instead. That's what people are complaining about. It's not about what he didn't do. It's about what he didn't even try to do and the fact that, in the end, he was for the 1% more than then 99%.
4
People like MIchael Pollan seem to prefer that people starve rather than consume politically incorrectly produced food.
The much demeaned US agricultural sector produces astonishingly more per acre than any place else in the world. Without this productivity, many people would starve. More acres would have to be devoted to farming, producing more environmental damage than the "best" that "traditional" farming techniques would allow.
His prescription of "Little Food" is a luxury that only the very rich, very few countries could possibly afford. Even then the damage done to the lives of the world's population could only be ignored by the most ideologically callous Luddite.
Talk about inequality.
The much demeaned US agricultural sector produces astonishingly more per acre than any place else in the world. Without this productivity, many people would starve. More acres would have to be devoted to farming, producing more environmental damage than the "best" that "traditional" farming techniques would allow.
His prescription of "Little Food" is a luxury that only the very rich, very few countries could possibly afford. Even then the damage done to the lives of the world's population could only be ignored by the most ideologically callous Luddite.
Talk about inequality.
15
Big Food produces what people want and buy. If people want steak and burgers, that is what they will buy, and that is what will be produced. You just can't seem to understand that people don't want the government to dictate what farmers can produce. They tried that in Venezuela, and food production shut down.
10
Correction , Ray.
Big Food produces what can make the most money and then CONVINCES (through advertising) people they want it and should buy it.
Big Food produces what can make the most money and then CONVINCES (through advertising) people they want it and should buy it.
6
If people buy what they want to buy, why does the multi-billion dollar advertising and marketing industry exist? Oh yeah, so companies can exercise their free-speech rights to inform the public about their wonderful products, designed to make our lives better.
4
Big food produces and markets whatever optimizes profit.
2
I know I need to read this magazine this weekend but I'm not looking forward to it. :-(
3
Obama was blocked at every turn - and forced to choose his fights.
Still, he moved us forward, and planted clear intentions that we can further.
Lets elect Hillary and others who have the courage to stand up for the common good.
Still, he moved us forward, and planted clear intentions that we can further.
Lets elect Hillary and others who have the courage to stand up for the common good.
18
"Lets elect Hillary and others who have the courage to stand up for the common good."
Don't you mean for her own good?
Don't you mean for her own good?
2
J N Hull - Hillary is obedient to her masters and will continue to be obedient to them. She cares nothing for "us".
3
Pollan, as usual, is in an alternate reality.
Ignore him ... he'll recover in a minute.
Ignore him ... he'll recover in a minute.
3
Modern global agriculture is primarily an economic issue. Sadly, nearly *everything* is primarily an economic issue in this brave new world. Mr. Pollan is an idealist, tilting at the windmills of one facet of global capitalism. I appreciate the tilting, but I still recognize it is is quixotic. I am not cynical; I am simply a bitter realist.
I would like to see economists weigh in on Mr. Pollan's ideas. Until then, I'll just quote the Beatles: "You say you want a revolution....."
I would like to see economists weigh in on Mr. Pollan's ideas. Until then, I'll just quote the Beatles: "You say you want a revolution....."
3
Michael, its really disappointing but to be expected. Expect the same from Hillary. They cannot bite the hand that feeds them....which is Big Money, Big Ag, Big Food..The Democrats are as guilty as the Republicans in their accepting campaign funding and lobbying from Big Ag. Only Bernie was brave enough to point it out but as was obvious, the wealthy and powerful did not want to change status quo.
18
Since the end of World War II, the population of the industrialized world has been living under the influence of "Big Brother" global corporations.
The first major public statement on this risk to global society was delivered in 1961 by our REPUBLICAN U.S. President, Dwight D Eisenhower.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
We as individuals do not care much for monopolies, but duopolies are capable of doing as much damage as a monopoly, all the while feigning the existence of fierce competition.
As an example, Coke and Pepsi together control the global beverage market with market shares in each of the markets they collectively operate in, well above 70%/80%/90% market share. This is why we constantly are bombarded with "everything goes better with a Coke" and "join the Pepsi generation." Faux competition, collusive market control.
As another example, Democrats and Republicans control the "market" for politics in this country. Why is there no credible third party? Why are Unaffiliated/Independent voters excluded from many state primary elections? Again, faux competition, collusive market control.
BIG -
Oil
Pharma
Finance
Transport
Food
Tobacco
Guns
Media
All these markets are controlled by a few global industrial companies.
When do we say enough is enough?
The first major public statement on this risk to global society was delivered in 1961 by our REPUBLICAN U.S. President, Dwight D Eisenhower.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
We as individuals do not care much for monopolies, but duopolies are capable of doing as much damage as a monopoly, all the while feigning the existence of fierce competition.
As an example, Coke and Pepsi together control the global beverage market with market shares in each of the markets they collectively operate in, well above 70%/80%/90% market share. This is why we constantly are bombarded with "everything goes better with a Coke" and "join the Pepsi generation." Faux competition, collusive market control.
As another example, Democrats and Republicans control the "market" for politics in this country. Why is there no credible third party? Why are Unaffiliated/Independent voters excluded from many state primary elections? Again, faux competition, collusive market control.
BIG -
Oil
Pharma
Finance
Transport
Food
Tobacco
Guns
Media
All these markets are controlled by a few global industrial companies.
When do we say enough is enough?
12
"All these markets are controlled by a few global industrial companies."....I can't speak to all of your list but there are dozens of companies engaged in the pharmaceutical industry.
2
Gongoozelery--Let's try to remember that Eisenhower was not a Republican, by today's standards. If he were alive today, he would be a Democrat. Last decent Republican president , as far as I am concerned.
1
In response to W.A. Spitzer,
No question there are many global organizations operating within each category, but when the top 2, 5, 10 or 20 companies each have global sales in excess of $10 to $50 billion, such as the pharmaceutical industry, then the ability to exert undo influence over national and/or regional markets, or to coordinate control over individual market niches by acting as a cartel, is very real.
Lobbying by Big Pharma ensures that we consumers are fed a steady diet of commercials for a variety of medicines which we are always reminded to "ask your Doctor about." Doctors have been co-opted as legalized drug pushers - with lavish payments, perks (informational conferences at lovely resorts) and other incentives - to dispense, dispense, and dispense more on behalf of Big Pharma.
No question there are many global organizations operating within each category, but when the top 2, 5, 10 or 20 companies each have global sales in excess of $10 to $50 billion, such as the pharmaceutical industry, then the ability to exert undo influence over national and/or regional markets, or to coordinate control over individual market niches by acting as a cartel, is very real.
Lobbying by Big Pharma ensures that we consumers are fed a steady diet of commercials for a variety of medicines which we are always reminded to "ask your Doctor about." Doctors have been co-opted as legalized drug pushers - with lavish payments, perks (informational conferences at lovely resorts) and other incentives - to dispense, dispense, and dispense more on behalf of Big Pharma.
2
Perhaps it is true that Mr Obama took on issues that avoided his need for corporate money but it's not his fault nor the government. People are responsible for what they put in their mouths. Most of us know what foods provide heathy nutrition.
6
pepperman33--It would never have mattered WHAT President Obama turned his attention to, Republicans were determined to obstruct him, AND the business of the United State of America. They said so, publicly, the day after the 2008 election.
1
Anything big is too big to fail, except the government.
3
EVERYTHING can be too big to manage, but government just needs to be more of a reflection of the American population, not corporations, or wealthy people more than the average ones.
2
Pollan's "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" has been more influential with my medical colleagues than courses in nutrition or even culinary medicine they were fortunate enough to receive in medical school or in practice.
His contribution here, about the back room dealings that keep my patients from eating as well as they would like to, is harder to put into practice.
But maybe "Eating something you grew, or someone you know grew, every day", is where farmers markets were 15 years ago. #gardensheal
His contribution here, about the back room dealings that keep my patients from eating as well as they would like to, is harder to put into practice.
But maybe "Eating something you grew, or someone you know grew, every day", is where farmers markets were 15 years ago. #gardensheal
22
@John La Puma MD:
While I admire Pollan's other writings, this classic advice is asinine.
1. "Eat food" -- well, who gets to define what is or isn't real "food"? What if we have competing definitions of what is or isn't healthful "food"?
2. "Not too much" -- how do we know when we've had "enough"? Do we have to count calories or portions?
3. "Mostly plants" -- Why? Humans are omnivorous, and quality animal foods are nutrient dense and satiating to the appetite (making it much easier to gauge step 2...). Will _everyone_ do better on a diet of "mostly plants?" There are lots of populations who have been healthy with significant portions of meat and fat, and clinical trials on diet almost all support a higher fat, lower carb diet than current recommendations for health and weight loss.
While I admire Pollan's other writings, this classic advice is asinine.
1. "Eat food" -- well, who gets to define what is or isn't real "food"? What if we have competing definitions of what is or isn't healthful "food"?
2. "Not too much" -- how do we know when we've had "enough"? Do we have to count calories or portions?
3. "Mostly plants" -- Why? Humans are omnivorous, and quality animal foods are nutrient dense and satiating to the appetite (making it much easier to gauge step 2...). Will _everyone_ do better on a diet of "mostly plants?" There are lots of populations who have been healthy with significant portions of meat and fat, and clinical trials on diet almost all support a higher fat, lower carb diet than current recommendations for health and weight loss.
Never mind the .1%, those soulless CEOs of the parasitic, transnational corporations; of bailed out Big Banks, subsidized Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Food, thieving Big Insurance, with their thousands of lobbyists and the American empire Eisenhower prophetically warned America to beware of, the Military Industrial Complex, stating, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger( 17,000,0000 children the U.S.) and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Big Food, all for maximum profit, dumping our sewage sludge into our ozone-depleting, nitrogen fertilized soil to generate our GMO-processed, pesticide-hormone-antibiotic-preservative-dyed-synthetic-chemical-laden-carcinogenic-cooked-to-death dinner.
Vote Democrat.
Big Food, all for maximum profit, dumping our sewage sludge into our ozone-depleting, nitrogen fertilized soil to generate our GMO-processed, pesticide-hormone-antibiotic-preservative-dyed-synthetic-chemical-laden-carcinogenic-cooked-to-death dinner.
Vote Democrat.
15
Hmmmm....I would suggest that you vote Green Party, it's their actual platform....the Dems are in the pocket of Big Ag so Vote for the Green New Deal...vote Jill Stein 2016!
1
As long as we're on agricultural issues...
When President Obama failed to take Marijuana off of the Schedule 1 list that was the height of this Presidents hypocrisy.
He of all people ought to know that is nonsense.
BTW, did you ever here what Dorothy Parker said about horticulture?
When President Obama failed to take Marijuana off of the Schedule 1 list that was the height of this Presidents hypocrisy.
He of all people ought to know that is nonsense.
BTW, did you ever here what Dorothy Parker said about horticulture?
3
Aunt Nancy--Have you written to him, and to your representatives, about this issue? How many times? I will do it, this very evening. (I guess YOU have a more intense interest in this topic I only care that it's available as a OTC medication, and not a crime to possess it.)
1
@Aunt Nancy Loves Reefer
Agricultural issues? What I read was about politics, economics, mass persuasion, even sociology. Whereas what you read seems to be about self-medication, the underlying basis for America's singular claim of exceptionalism induced by mass chemical intoxication. One side effect being a loss of cognitive function that leads to confusing the President with a drug dealer.
Those less impaired simply moved to Colorado or California where Obama's alleged hypocrisy doesn't stand in the way of dispensaries offering 150 varieties of intoxicants ingested in every way possible.
BTW, whatever Dorothy Parker said about horticulture is less fascinating than the fact you can remember it.
Agricultural issues? What I read was about politics, economics, mass persuasion, even sociology. Whereas what you read seems to be about self-medication, the underlying basis for America's singular claim of exceptionalism induced by mass chemical intoxication. One side effect being a loss of cognitive function that leads to confusing the President with a drug dealer.
Those less impaired simply moved to Colorado or California where Obama's alleged hypocrisy doesn't stand in the way of dispensaries offering 150 varieties of intoxicants ingested in every way possible.
BTW, whatever Dorothy Parker said about horticulture is less fascinating than the fact you can remember it.
All that ad hom garbage, is that the best you can do?
Pitiful.
Pitiful.
Want to kill big corporate food? Want to help the environment?
Eat vegetarian, at home, cooking from scratch.
Otherwise, get out and vote and see where that gets you...
Eat vegetarian, at home, cooking from scratch.
Otherwise, get out and vote and see where that gets you...
42
Amen
5
Oh, and you'd need to pretty grow all your own veggies. And no need to be vegetarian, depending on where you are you can keep your own chickens. Maybe even a pig or cow.
2
Cain killed Abel. That's a metaphor--no, a parable--for the discovery and spread of agriculture at the expense of foraging. Wheat, rice, and maize dominate humanity now, and have driven people into cities where disease and crime flourish. The biggest criminals are at the top of the food chain,
1
We are... who grows... what we eat.
1
Because its not a Bank, therefore nobody cares (even though they should)
1
Why not change the font so there's some contrast between the type and the background, so this outstanding article by an outstanding writer isn't so absurdly difficult to read?
1
Most Americans appear to be out of shape, many overweight. I wonder if they know how much better their life might be were they to insist on eating healthy food. Let's hope the next president has it on her agenda to prioritize healthy food supply -- that does not rely on deadly pesticides.
1
Mm hmm. This is actually about Pollan's legacy. Despite being lauded as a force in food 10 years ago when his book was launched, when the retrospective anniversary pieces came out it was clear that despite the rhetoric--not much had changed. Thanks, Obama!
Yet we have safe and abundant food, at lower costs than any time in history. Unless you eat at Chipotle. I do think we can thank Pollan for Chipotle and the other food theater that we do have.
Yet we have safe and abundant food, at lower costs than any time in history. Unless you eat at Chipotle. I do think we can thank Pollan for Chipotle and the other food theater that we do have.
2
Darn it! Those millennials should have known that Obama would just have been a corporate shill for big agriculture and voted in their millions for the Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney. I'm sure 8 years of "Drill Baby Drill" emanating from the White House would have been a small price to pay.
There are many possible answers to this question, one might be that as a senator from Illinois, he was really tied into the Big Ag subsidies game. All state agricultural organizations act like Monsanto subsidiaries and join the aggressive lobbying campaigns designed to thwart any movement towards rethinking US agricultural policies. As long as the heads of the FDA rotate between jobs at Big Food/Big Ag and being responsible for food policies, who is surprised at the outcome?
3
The government worshiping liberal/progressives can never have too much government regulations. In their ideal world their great god government would control every facet of everyone's lives and everyone would work for the government, or at least a non-profit, just like in the old Soviet Union.
1
The religious right likes to speak about saying grace before a meal--as Pence mentioned in the debate last night. It is one thing that makes sense to me: specifically because our food has been poisoned and the way it has been grown and poisoned is doing such damage.. No one knows that better than those on the political right who enable this system.
7
Michelle Obama danced, danced mind you, around the issues you speak of and was roundly criticized on the right for trying to indoctrinate our children into socialist eating habits. To answer your question, the Obama's didn't take on corporate agriculture because of the country's political culture. To get things done you need political partners and corporate agriculture had a willing Republican party to partner with against the President. I appreciate all the good work you do Mr. Pollan but, in this case, it would be like asking why you haven't done more, yourself. In both cases the answer is, there is just so much one man and one party can do when your opposition is hellbent on seeing you fail.
7
Why didn't the Obamas take on...
There is an old story, possibly true
a new president, On his second day in office; his top aids enter the oval office
The aides say, Mr President, here is a list of 10 things you can accomplish in domestic policy and 10 you can do in foreign
Pick 3 from each list; if you try for more, you will get nothing done
There is an old story, possibly true
a new president, On his second day in office; his top aids enter the oval office
The aides say, Mr President, here is a list of 10 things you can accomplish in domestic policy and 10 you can do in foreign
Pick 3 from each list; if you try for more, you will get nothing done
1
Obama is a Republican, as is Clinton. Heavily impeded by their fellow Republicans, but still Republicans. The vile TPP, an anti-internet anti-fair-use pro-"intellectual property" corporate pact that certain outlets (and the occasional NYT apologist) still keep confusing with a trade deal and a China deterrent, is evidence enough, as is their war on whistleblowers or their money-toss at the Sauds' Yemen massacre.
Donald "Adolf Twitler" Trump is even worse than both, but you'd still be wise to buy stock in clothespins this November's general. Smelt rats and so forth.
Donald "Adolf Twitler" Trump is even worse than both, but you'd still be wise to buy stock in clothespins this November's general. Smelt rats and so forth.
3
It's more than a little ironic that while Michelle is extolling the virtues of organic food while feeding her kids from the organic garden in back of the White house, that her husband is appointing former Monsanto executives to key regulatory positions. That company has lobbied hard to not only defeat any federal regulation of GMO's but to even defeat the publics right to know what they are eating.
The only way to understand this is that it is one more example of Obama doing the bidding of big corporations in exchange for the usual campaign contributions.
New studies show that most of us are beginning to show traceable amounts of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup in our bodies. The WHO has declared that chemical to be a probable carcinogen, but Obama has given them free reign over our farmland and our health. This was not the change we thought we could count on.
The only way to understand this is that it is one more example of Obama doing the bidding of big corporations in exchange for the usual campaign contributions.
New studies show that most of us are beginning to show traceable amounts of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup in our bodies. The WHO has declared that chemical to be a probable carcinogen, but Obama has given them free reign over our farmland and our health. This was not the change we thought we could count on.
13
It's amazing that you have to ask. Obama supports the TPP that practical enshrines big food. Big Pharma, big Chemicals. Any corproation or foreign government that has a lobbyist with big$$$$$ can count on Obama. First, he is a corporatist. Second, he has a foundation to fund and a library to build.
He talks a lot about this and that but when the rubber meets the road it's the money that matters. sad but true.
He talks a lot about this and that but when the rubber meets the road it's the money that matters. sad but true.
11
"He talks a lot about this and that but when the rubber meets the road it's the money that matters. sad but true."
And the exact same thing is true of clinton.
And the exact same thing is true of clinton.
14
Obama turned out to be 99% politician who wanted to get revoted in at all costs and 1% idealist. He could have done more for the environment in his first term but chose not to. As you can see with Obamacare compromise is not always best. Sometimes you have to lead from the front.
5
Future wars ( they ARE coming ) will be fought over population ( freedom of movement ) , food and then ultimately water.
There are already skirmishes that have been won with some dire consequences.
Conglomerates are cornering the market on the very seeds farmers use, through patents. Lawmakers are trying to ( and succeeded to a certain degree ) to partition food stamps+SNAP from agra bills. Industrial farming with grandfathered in water rights are already wreaking havoc with urban sprawl and large urban areas.
Just like everything, there is a consolidation of power behind the scenes and front and center are lawmakers who do their bidding or are beholden to their cash and influence.
We need to pay closer attention .
There are already skirmishes that have been won with some dire consequences.
Conglomerates are cornering the market on the very seeds farmers use, through patents. Lawmakers are trying to ( and succeeded to a certain degree ) to partition food stamps+SNAP from agra bills. Industrial farming with grandfathered in water rights are already wreaking havoc with urban sprawl and large urban areas.
Just like everything, there is a consolidation of power behind the scenes and front and center are lawmakers who do their bidding or are beholden to their cash and influence.
We need to pay closer attention .
20
One Big Union!
Corporations are buying water rights from towns thropugh local politicians so they can put money-making pure water in plastic (read massively polluting) bottles and leaving towns without water to drink, wash with.
What has America become that this is OK with any politician?
Madame de Farge redux gets closer and closer.
What has America become that this is OK with any politician?
Madame de Farge redux gets closer and closer.
3
Michael: Isn't time that you, and everyone else who had such high hopes for President Obama, woke up and realized that he's just another front man for the oligarchy?
He had his big chance to separate himself from that in the aftermath of the Crash of '08 by pushing for things that would've really helped the middle and working class deal with the fall out from that event: lost pensions and retirement savings; underwater mortgages; lost jobs and wages, etc. But what did he do? He made sure the architects of all that were made whole because they were "too big to fail", and that none of the people behind it were ever prosecuted. Then in his "signature" accomplishment - Obamacare - he ducked away from the only healthcare plan that makes sense - Medicare For All - and stuck with a lukewarm revision to the for-profit system that still leaves most people held ransom by insurers and the medical industry. He has not done anything of substance to champion the "little guy", and has always worked for his wealthy benefactors. And you are surprised he didn't take on another charter member of the plutocracy? Your naivete is showing.
And don't hold your breath for Hillary to do anything different than Obama, should she be elected. As for Trump...well I'm sure you hold no illusions there.
No sir, the only one who would've actually fought for the average Americans, and against the oligarchy, was Sanders, and we can all see what they did to him to ensure he wouldn't get the chance.
He had his big chance to separate himself from that in the aftermath of the Crash of '08 by pushing for things that would've really helped the middle and working class deal with the fall out from that event: lost pensions and retirement savings; underwater mortgages; lost jobs and wages, etc. But what did he do? He made sure the architects of all that were made whole because they were "too big to fail", and that none of the people behind it were ever prosecuted. Then in his "signature" accomplishment - Obamacare - he ducked away from the only healthcare plan that makes sense - Medicare For All - and stuck with a lukewarm revision to the for-profit system that still leaves most people held ransom by insurers and the medical industry. He has not done anything of substance to champion the "little guy", and has always worked for his wealthy benefactors. And you are surprised he didn't take on another charter member of the plutocracy? Your naivete is showing.
And don't hold your breath for Hillary to do anything different than Obama, should she be elected. As for Trump...well I'm sure you hold no illusions there.
No sir, the only one who would've actually fought for the average Americans, and against the oligarchy, was Sanders, and we can all see what they did to him to ensure he wouldn't get the chance.
6
Well stated - thank you.
2
Obama and his fellow Democrats accepted huge "donations" from the criminally operated agriculture corporations. The Republicans accepted some of it too, but it's mostly Democrats.
4
President Obama is a corporatist Democratic in the Clinton mold. He did not take on the big banks, big pharma, or any of the other global financial interests that have been bleeding the middle class and the poor dry. Expect him to earn hundreds of millions of dollars after he leaves office - just like the Clinton's have.
18
Obama didn't come close to Big-Ag for the same reasons Debbie Wassermen Schultz (D) and Marco Rubio (R) never pointed a finger toward Florida's Big Sugar. Money Power Politics transcends the respective parties and dictates their agendas.
31
If our agriculture is built upon oil and corn, why don't food prices ever reflect a downturn in the prices of these commodities? They're like a ratchet, able to move in only one direction.
2
Big Food has another marketing strategy, helped by politicians on BF's side, in which the American consumer is deceived into being complicit: freedom. Suggest a supersize soda might be too much? You're treading on my freedom. Look out for junk foor with HF corn syrup? You can't tell me what to eat. Eat less meat? I have the right to put into my body what I want to.
As long as freedom is held up in a perfect and impenetrable bubble of individuality there will come no collective drive to change everything for the better for all of us.
As long as freedom is held up in a perfect and impenetrable bubble of individuality there will come no collective drive to change everything for the better for all of us.
6
People have choice - and that is good.
People can willingly join cooperatives with "Shares of the Farm" for a coming year. Farmers markets on the weekends are common in many cities an freezers allow people to buy a side of beef (hopefully butchered) for a year.
Beyond the boutique, though, it becomes a structural issue. There is no single, simple farm, even a county of them, that could serve New York, Chicago, and St. Louis. Why the horse traffic alone delivering milk would cause chaos on 5th avenue (not to mention the smell and hygiene issues).
Small farm in NH and VT, while idyllic, often can't afford the loss of of cow or the continued presence of a vet (as larger operations can).
It all sounds nice at the Garden Club, but force us back to the green good old days of horse-drawn plows and productivity would plummet. Even the Amish in my area make liberal use of propane as they pursue their version of low-impact agriculture.
People can willingly join cooperatives with "Shares of the Farm" for a coming year. Farmers markets on the weekends are common in many cities an freezers allow people to buy a side of beef (hopefully butchered) for a year.
Beyond the boutique, though, it becomes a structural issue. There is no single, simple farm, even a county of them, that could serve New York, Chicago, and St. Louis. Why the horse traffic alone delivering milk would cause chaos on 5th avenue (not to mention the smell and hygiene issues).
Small farm in NH and VT, while idyllic, often can't afford the loss of of cow or the continued presence of a vet (as larger operations can).
It all sounds nice at the Garden Club, but force us back to the green good old days of horse-drawn plows and productivity would plummet. Even the Amish in my area make liberal use of propane as they pursue their version of low-impact agriculture.
6
Yes...by all means...let's blame ONE MAN for this.
Not Congress; you know, the guys who are supposed to write laws....can't mention them as the main reason nothing is done.
Not Congress; you know, the guys who are supposed to write laws....can't mention them as the main reason nothing is done.
65
It's not that Obama couldn't have taken on Wall Street, Big Pharma or Big Ag, it's that he wouldn't. He's their grinning stooge, as will be his successor. Best of luck in your doubtlessly lucrative 'retirement' Mr. President, as you chuckle on the golf course with the very people your administration should have jailed.
2
There is only so much a single POTUS can do, even in two terms, when a GOP Congress has the sole goal of making sure nothing gets done for the good of the nation because of its gnashing hatred of a minority in the White House.
6
Why would Obama take on corporate farming?
Cheap, government-subsidized food as always been America's way to prevent revolution.
The best example is socialist ranching in the western United States.
Ranchers grazes most of their cattle on public lands, trashing public lands in the process, and constantly whining about the cost, even though the government charges a rent fee of only $1-2 per acre per cow and calf.
Meanwhile rancher socialists can complain bitterly about the oppressive government that won't let the ranchers have an even better deal.
Cheap, government-subsidized food as always been America's way to prevent revolution.
The best example is socialist ranching in the western United States.
Ranchers grazes most of their cattle on public lands, trashing public lands in the process, and constantly whining about the cost, even though the government charges a rent fee of only $1-2 per acre per cow and calf.
Meanwhile rancher socialists can complain bitterly about the oppressive government that won't let the ranchers have an even better deal.
27
Ethically, what is your approach when it comes down to what you control, i.e., your own puny choices in life? Eating organic will not solve the problem. You'd have to go vegetarian, as would anyone else who actually understood the environmental and ethical implications of feeding on animals and wanted to manifest a lifestyle coherent with an environmental preservationist philosophy.
6
@taopraxis:
Traditional and sustainable forms of agriculture have always involved plants and animals together, and traditional and healthful diets have always been omnivorous. We are adapted to be an omnivorous species, and I feed myself and my family quality animal foods out of an _ethical_ obligation to keep us healthy, strong, and well-nourished.
If one eats only plants, and agriculture produces only plants, you should ask how those plants are getting fertilized. Endless monocultures of corn, soy, and wheat, doused in chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are technically "vegetarian" but are not doing the environment any favors.
Traditional and sustainable forms of agriculture have always involved plants and animals together, and traditional and healthful diets have always been omnivorous. We are adapted to be an omnivorous species, and I feed myself and my family quality animal foods out of an _ethical_ obligation to keep us healthy, strong, and well-nourished.
If one eats only plants, and agriculture produces only plants, you should ask how those plants are getting fertilized. Endless monocultures of corn, soy, and wheat, doused in chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are technically "vegetarian" but are not doing the environment any favors.
@taopraxis:
Humans are adapted to eat a whole foods _omnivorous_ diet, as anyone understands who pays the least bit of attention to evolution, anthropology, or physiology.
Humans are adapted to eat a whole foods _omnivorous_ diet, as anyone understands who pays the least bit of attention to evolution, anthropology, or physiology.
I believe it is easy to forget the mess that President Obama inherited in January 2009. A recalcitrant (or downright treasonous) Congress, hellbent on thwarting his every policy, the well-being of the nation be damned.
Given the scope of the problems he faced, I can forgive him the woes of Big Ag going begging. All the more reason, though, to get Democrats into Congress, and keep them in the Oval Office.
Given the scope of the problems he faced, I can forgive him the woes of Big Ag going begging. All the more reason, though, to get Democrats into Congress, and keep them in the Oval Office.
5
Wow! A war on food. One must wonder if Hillary C. will take on this war and try to duplicate Mao's famine.
3
Why didn't President Obama, who didn't prosecute the bankers, who has hugged the defense industry to his chest, whose healthcare plan is welfare for the insurance industry, go after corporate agriculture?
Does anyone need to ask this question?
Does anyone need to ask this question?
6
Obama didn't change anything because he is just as corrupt as every other politician. He is not the saint that many like to perceive him as.
7
He didn' because there are so many things broken in American society, thank you, Obstructionist Republicans.Hhe tried to fix a few, more pressing issues. He accomplished more than I imagined, but The Obstructionist Republicans were being bribed by the very Corporations, that screwed things up.t Thank God we elected President Obama or we would be in a far worse position.
5
(1) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Agriculture?
(2) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Health Insurance?
(3) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Hospital Chains?
(4) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Pharmaceuticals?
(5) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Telecommunications?
(6) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Oligopolies/Monopolies?
(7) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The Military Industrial Complex?
(8) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The Israeli Lobby?
(9) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The NRA?
(10) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Protect The Rights and The Interests Of Those In America Who Most Needed It Against the Predations of the Powerful? WHY INDEED. If you're serious about knowing the answer to these very serious questions, I guess your choice is to either ask the President directly or come to your own conclusions (that is if you can discern a common thread here).
(2) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Health Insurance?
(3) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Hospital Chains?
(4) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Pharmaceuticals?
(5) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Telecommunications?
(6) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On Corporate Oligopolies/Monopolies?
(7) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The Military Industrial Complex?
(8) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The Israeli Lobby?
(9) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Take On The NRA?
(10) Why Did the Obamas Fail To Protect The Rights and The Interests Of Those In America Who Most Needed It Against the Predations of the Powerful? WHY INDEED. If you're serious about knowing the answer to these very serious questions, I guess your choice is to either ask the President directly or come to your own conclusions (that is if you can discern a common thread here).
12
Greg, just to be clear, you are aware of a major political party called "Republicans" who have controlled the House and Senate for most of Obama's presidency, correct? You do understand that they adopted a hardline obstructionism on all things, right? You also understand that Congress makes law and that presidents are not dictators, correct?
Just checking.
Just checking.
27
Obama fooled a lot of people. I was not one of them. I take no pleasure in vindication, though, given the outlook is for more of the same (Clinton) or possibly far worse (Trump). The only good news is that the Wall Street sharks will be feeding on each other very soon, unless I miss my guess. Ordinary people are basically tapped out...
12
You say, "Obama left the distinct impression during the campaign that he grasped the food movement’s critique of the food system and shared its aspirations for reforming it." Of course he did - he's a very smart man.
May I remind you, Mr. Pallan, that President Obama has had a very full plate preventing a deepening of the recession caused by 40+years of insatiable greed and republican attempts to destroy OUR democracy? Did you realize that he had to manage two wars George Bush, Jr. started and try to work with a republican Congress that refused to work with him on anything? Did you notice that the economy is relatively strong again and that the job market is getting better? Did you notice all the great things President Obama did to help restore democracy in America? Did you notice that Michelle Obama made healthy eating, raising one's own food and exercise her main focus?
Everything you say about our bastardized food system by BIG agriculture, BIG chemicals and BIG investors is correct. It took 40+years to nearly destroy it and it will take some time to make it healthful again - if we ever can.
This is another reason we MUST elect Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other socially conscious democrats and independents at every level in OUR government to stop the further destruction of OUR democracy and stay on a path to consumer safety, reason, civility and strengthening of OUR regulatory laws and agencies that President Obama started. They have my votes!
May I remind you, Mr. Pallan, that President Obama has had a very full plate preventing a deepening of the recession caused by 40+years of insatiable greed and republican attempts to destroy OUR democracy? Did you realize that he had to manage two wars George Bush, Jr. started and try to work with a republican Congress that refused to work with him on anything? Did you notice that the economy is relatively strong again and that the job market is getting better? Did you notice all the great things President Obama did to help restore democracy in America? Did you notice that Michelle Obama made healthy eating, raising one's own food and exercise her main focus?
Everything you say about our bastardized food system by BIG agriculture, BIG chemicals and BIG investors is correct. It took 40+years to nearly destroy it and it will take some time to make it healthful again - if we ever can.
This is another reason we MUST elect Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other socially conscious democrats and independents at every level in OUR government to stop the further destruction of OUR democracy and stay on a path to consumer safety, reason, civility and strengthening of OUR regulatory laws and agencies that President Obama started. They have my votes!
68
I apologize for misspelling your name, Mr. Pollan.
7
"Did you realize that he had to manage two wars George Bush, Jr. started ..."
Right, just like W did. But Obama claimed in the 2012 presidential elections that he ended the war in Iraq and left it with a stable government. Both lies.
Yes we had two wars when he took office. Now we have wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya as well as the Cold War Par 2. Don't forget we also have homegrown ISIS attacks in the US which Obama shamefully tried to dismiss as workplace violence. Oh yeah, there's the junior varsity. With making all that mess I can see why Obama had no time for big agriculture.
Right, just like W did. But Obama claimed in the 2012 presidential elections that he ended the war in Iraq and left it with a stable government. Both lies.
Yes we had two wars when he took office. Now we have wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya as well as the Cold War Par 2. Don't forget we also have homegrown ISIS attacks in the US which Obama shamefully tried to dismiss as workplace violence. Oh yeah, there's the junior varsity. With making all that mess I can see why Obama had no time for big agriculture.
1
njglea--I may never have to make a comment again, because you ALWAYS say what I would say only much better. (I'll still comment, with envy. ;-))
2
Agriculture? For affluent professionals like the president, food comes from grocery stores, or maybe Whole Foods. It's just not on their radar.
Gay marriage, climate change, health care - that's their track, and they run it consistently. They're not going to take on powerful interests on an issue they care little about.
Gay marriage, climate change, health care - that's their track, and they run it consistently. They're not going to take on powerful interests on an issue they care little about.
9
Huh? Climate change and health care do not involve powerful interests? Since when? How did you miss republicans are fighting tooth and nail to keep burning coal oil and undo the ACA so that health insurance companies can continue to profit off of suffering?
Oh, and there is no such thing as "gay marriage", but rather now we have marriage equality for all citizens. So you can check that one off your "track" list as done.
Oh, and there is no such thing as "gay marriage", but rather now we have marriage equality for all citizens. So you can check that one off your "track" list as done.
2
You do know that the Obama’s have a garden on the White House lawn--and bee hives as well? You do know that the White House Chef uses this produce to help produce their meals? You do know that Michelle Obama involves poor children in her garden to help inspire them to eat simple and healthy food?
You do know that they would both have liked to do more, but that whenever any legislation is suggested (along the lines of what worked with tobacco) the right wing and Libertarians scream “Nanny State” at the top of their lungs?
You do know that they would both have liked to do more, but that whenever any legislation is suggested (along the lines of what worked with tobacco) the right wing and Libertarians scream “Nanny State” at the top of their lungs?
3
What don't you understand about crony capitalism. Both the Republican and Democratic party are awash with corporate money. The labels left and right, conservative and liberal mean nothing when it touches on business interests. Neoliberalism values everything by the market but is unsustainable in a democracy.
We now have a huge abused working class suffering while both parties and our educated elites made money from globalization while failing to notice the suffering of people who lost their jobs. Trump is only a symptom, expect more Trumpism - hopefully without Trump.
We now have a huge abused working class suffering while both parties and our educated elites made money from globalization while failing to notice the suffering of people who lost their jobs. Trump is only a symptom, expect more Trumpism - hopefully without Trump.
56
"expect more Trumpism - hopefully without Trump" I'm having a hard time making sense of that.
A populist appeal to the underrepresented
1
17
And just to quote from this source:
The findings of a 2013 report from the United Nations titled, “Wake Up Before It’s Too Late,” say small-scale, organic farming is the only way to sustainably feed the world.
While some people point to GMOs, chemical-intensive farming and monocultures (the practice of growing only one crop in a field at a time) as answers to feeding the world, the findings in this UN report say a shift toward local, small-scale farmers and food systems is actually the only way it can be done without causing irreparable harm to soil, water, and air quality.
The findings of a 2013 report from the United Nations titled, “Wake Up Before It’s Too Late,” say small-scale, organic farming is the only way to sustainably feed the world.
While some people point to GMOs, chemical-intensive farming and monocultures (the practice of growing only one crop in a field at a time) as answers to feeding the world, the findings in this UN report say a shift toward local, small-scale farmers and food systems is actually the only way it can be done without causing irreparable harm to soil, water, and air quality.
1
Why not?
1
At a minimum, he should address these issues when leaving office. All he has to do is tell Americans about his efforts or lack thereof. We deserve at least that much.