Changing Our Food

This week’s reading in The Nation entitled “One Thing to Do About Food: A Forum” was especially interesting because it highlighted different themes from the course. It asked prominent names involved in the state of food what one thing they would change about food in the world. A few comments stood out to me from the rest. Eric Schlosser called for public awareness and transparency in the food industry because “the obligation to endure gives us the right to know.” Marion Nestle would stop marketing food to kids (an issue I brought up in my last post about McDonald’s Happy Meal toys) in an effort to curtail childhood obesity. Along those same lines, Michael Pollan argued against government decisions to subsidize overproduction as it leads to cheap, unhealthy food. Troy Duster and Elizabeth Ransom went as far as to compare unhealthy food to alcohol and drugs and the need for their regulation around schools. Lastly, Peter Singer urged the avoidance of factory-farm food because of its negative impact on the environment. This is very appropriate in a time when people are buying fuel-efficient cars to decrease their carbon footprint but could have an even greater impact if they limited their mass-produced food purchases.

I believe that all these points are valid and only with the combination of them will we achieve a better food system. However, I would also stress the importance of buying local and supporting community economies. Not only does this help small farms, but also leads to better eating habits as this food has more nutrients (and often tastes better!) than those produced for mass market. And did I mention that they do not have to be shipped around the country, a tragic waste of fossil fuels? Maybe if everyone changes at least one thing in the way they buy/eat we will see a great change in the world’s food system.

What would you change? Or do you think anything needs to be changed at all?

Would it be better to educate adults about the food industry or focus on the children in hopes that they will make better choices?