On a semi-recent edition of NPR’s Talk of the Nation, host Ira Flatow interviewed three individuals regarding the local food movement—James McWilliams, Michael Pollan, and Brian Halweil. While Flatow tried to structure the debate with the interviewees in opposition to one another, they had little to disagree about. Instead, this interview turns out to be a nice overview of the broadness of the so-called locavores’ arguments regarding food production. It’s more than simply reducing your “carbon footprint”; they promote thinking about where your food comes from in terms of energy use, community connection and development, economics, health, and creating a decentralized, stable food system. Also, Pollan et al. argue that it’s important to put an end to the strict dichotomy between what is known as conventional farming and organic farming. To its own benefit, the former can easily integrate some of the practices of the organic community, while the latter can be easily co-opted by large agri-businesses, reducing its benefits, particularly in terms of energy use. (I recommend listening to the interview over lunch.)
Moreover, this interview is a fine response to one previously aired, in which Charlotte Allen vents her frustration with what she feels is an impossible and condescending call to eat locally. However, she doesn’t offer very strong arguments for her position during the interview outside of a desire to be able to eat whatever she wants, cheaply, and ignores the broader costs of food production.
On a related note, in a more recent interview on NPR’s All Things Considered, Pollan discusses the national diet and the food industry in relation to the health care debate. His primary argument is that while the federal government is trying to cut health care costs, it is also fueling the fire by heavily subsidizing the crops that find their way into our junk food—in particular, corn syrup.
This topic verges on a conversation I’ve been hoping we could have for a while now. Unfortunately, discussion about how to build healthy lifestyles has been shadowed by the conversation about how to mend health problems. Health reform (as opposed to simply health care reform), should include a thorough examination of our food and our food sources.
