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Arts & Entertainment

Author Michael Pollan Tells Marin Residents to Rethink Food

The author spoke at the Veterans' Memorial Auditorium on how to fix America's broken food system.

The audience at Marin Civic Center perked up when writer Michael Pollan explained that a double bacon cheeseburger from McDonald's actually has its origins in the oil fields of the Middle East.

"I'm going to take you on a journey into the food system past, present and future," he said.

Pollan is no stranger to the history of food. The bestselling author of “The Omnivore's Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food” has made a career out of analyzing the historical evolution of food and it’s perception and impacts in modern society. The author appeared Thursday night at the to deliver a speech entitled "The Sun-Food Agenda.”

He told around 1500 audience members that there are three major global concerns that our food patterns contribute to: the energy crisis, the climate crisis and the health care crisis.

Energy and Climate

After WWII, our agricultural model relied on oil for fuel, instead of the natural processes of the sun, Pollan explained. This leads to “monocultures,” in which a farmer only produces one export, such as cattle or corn. The farmer now has no system in place to offset the tremendous amount of waste produced. The final product: astoundingly cheap food.

"We've made calories so cheap that you can get thousands [of them] for less then you can earn for an hour at minimum wage," he said.

At the heart of this system is oil, from the fertilizer and the pesticides to the machinery and the trucks that transport the food. Approximately 20 percent of fossil fuels burned are in relation to food production, according to Pollan.

In addition to that environmental concern, untreated waste on these “monocultured” farms are not held to Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act regulations, and 150,000 cows produce the waste equivalent of Chicago, he said.

Using some cleverly disguised chocolate syrup, Pollan poured glass after glass of “oil” on his podium, until finally he had 26 ounces – the amount needed to produce his one cheeseburger.

Health Care

According to Pollan, four of the top 10 diseases are linked to diet. He asserted that the easiest way to fix our health care system was simply to find a better way to eat. However, cost is a large factor when buying food, as most unhealthy foods tend to be less expensive.

"Take a dollar into a grocery store," he suggested, "and go on a treasure hunt for calories. You'll be driven to the snack food aisles."

Broken Food System

But Pollan didn’t want to just focus on the “bad stuff,” he said and turned his attention to ways to fix our broken food system.

"I want to point to solutions," he assured his listeners.  "I don't want to leave my readers feeling dismal."

Pollan spoke about the "rich synergistic relationship" farmer Joel Salatin’s 100-acre grass property provides for its animals. After Salatin's cattle graze a field for the day, they are moved out. A few days later a portable chicken coop is brought in, and the chickens break-up all the cow pies looking for maggots. In this way the chickens eat, the cattle waste is dispersed and the waste from the chickens (being nitrogen-rich) fertilizes the field.

"There are ways we can organize our relationship to nature that heal," Pollan said.

His offerings included altering the farm bill before the senate to be a "food" bill and re-regionalizing our food system so local agriculture provided for nearby metropolitan areas.

As parting advice, he boiled down his presentation in seven simple words, the same words found on one of his book covers: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”



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