How Michael Pollan and the ‘foodie’ movement hurt small farmers

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Michael Pollan

…[I]n some ways I am glad the “foodie” movement encouraged people to learn more about agriculture and how farmers provide the food we enjoy.

Unfortunately, that movement, which began as an effort to promote niche food products to a mostly upper-middle class audience, has crossed the line to become an anti-farming movement….

. . . .

…Mr Pollan describes U.S. agriculture as a four-tiered pyramid with mega farms at the bottom … and supermarket retailers and fast-food franchises at the top. Mr Pollan has failed to remember … the top-tier that drives all others. The most important factor of any market is the consumer.

. . . .

Photo by PopTech/Flickr…Mr Pollan claims farmers are “partly responsible for the explosion in our health care costs because they’re contributing to Type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity.” Why attack farmers for the choices of consumers?

. . . .

….In the name of “protecting the small farmer,” Mr Pollan and the anti-farm movement promote regulations which, ironically, victimize the small farmer while creating a perfect incubator for super-sized, mega-farms.

An increasingly duplicative regulatory burden has a disproportionate impact on the small farmer. Larger farms can absorb the high cost of increased compliance and can afford to hire lawyers and regulatory compliance personnel to navigate regulations.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: How Michael Pollan Victimizes Small Farmers

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