Omnom II

Part two of Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma explores the alternatives to industrial food, including organic, local, and industrial-organic. It was quite disappointing to discover how little the word "organic" means, and to see how many organic farms have thrown their initial organic spirits to the wind in their movement toward more industrial means and methods. The section itself, compared to part I of Omnivore's Dilemma came as a partial relief. Also refreshing was Michael Pollan's lack of bias, I didn't feel as though he was pushing me toward one agenda or another.

After the initial glimpse of Polyface Farms, and after having heard from my friends how wonderful this part of the book is, I found myself very frustrated in reading the organic section of part II. It all seems so hopeless. Organic seemed great before but now in stores I read the label, "organic" as, "sellout." Whereas organic food used to stand in opposition to its industrial counterpart, the two have somehow collided, arguing that small-time organic can't feed the masses, and we must make concessions. No. If the most sustainable lifestyle cannot feed the massive amount of people in America (and on the planet) then the problem is the sheer number of our population. From a humanitarian perspective, I do believe that all people have the right to live, however, from an environmentalist perspective, the earth and her resources cannot support 7 billion people, and we as humans cannot feed those 7 billion without turning to industrial practices.

Joel Salatin's Polyface Farms, for instance, employs a system as similar to nature as possible while still being efficient (in the way that most businessmen define the word efficient). However, that farm takes up a whole lot of space! Joel Salatin points out that not only does his farm include the acreage covered by his fields and pastures, but also the untouched wooded area around the farm. Considering that the food produced on Salatin's farm can only feed 100 or so people, 7 billion people cannot feed themselves that way.

I also found myself getting very angry with my mother for taking us to the grocery store to buy produce when, living in Michigan, there are several fruit stands and farms nearby that sell local food seven days a week and we could have been eating more delicious, more sustainable food all along. Although I can't make many food decisions while eating from the cafeteria, this summer at home, things are going to change.