New York Times Magazine
You may remember reading our review of Michael Pollan’s An Eater’s Manifesto in February’s Country Guide. We were upbeat then about Pollan’s potential role as a bridge between farmers and consumers, and we’re still following him.
For his part, Pollan is still writing, and his most recent essay in The New York Time s is an outspoken missive to the next U. S. president — you’ll know who that is by the time you read this.
Read Also
Producers aren’t panicking over tariffs and trade threats
The Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) surveyed its members this spring to get a sense of how trade uncertainty was…
Just Google to find the essay.
Pollan warns the next president that food policy will be his most pressing issue. If John McCain or Barack Obama want to uphold their campaign promises to reform health care, address climate change and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, Pollan says they’ll have to start by reforming the nation’s food system.
Pollan suggests a three-point plan: resolarize farms, reregionalize the food system, and reform America’s food culture.
The next president will need to work on shortening the distance between field and table, and on building up regional food economies to support local producers and cut back even further on fossil fuels. For all this to succeed, Americans will need to change the way they think about what they eat. Pollan calls for “eating well” initiatives to teach children and adults alike about real food, and the consequences of sticking to the popular diet of fast foods processed beyond recognition.
“Enhancing the prestige” of the farmer will be equally important in shifting Americans’ thinking.
Farmers might not always agree with Pollan, and he knows many average Americans won’t either. But he’s also certain that as much as Americans love their fast food and their manicured lawns, they have an even deeper connection to what he calls an “agrarian ideal”: a belief in self-reliance and in responsible stewardship of the land.
Pollan is determined to open his government’s eyes to the fact that the health of the food system is essential to the health of the nation — something most farmers already know. Perhaps Canadian politicians should get the message too.
