Michael Pollan - the Omnivores Dilemma

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good and that’s because it’s being used in almost anything you can think of and even though corn is not part of the meat family, it does play a role in the production of meat. In my opinion the way agriculture is today, follows a capitalistic model which is efficient in improving production. With growing populations this is needed to keep up with demand but on the other hand, this also lowers the quality of the food. I think it would be best to combine industrial production and agricultural production so that we are eating less and healthier.

I see both the consumer and the industry side of this. It’s going to be impossible not to use new technology and agricultural advancements in farming because of how efficient and low cost it can be. Maybe there is way to have both though, and I agree with Hurst when he says “we have to farm “industrially” to feed the world, and by using those “industrial” tools sensibly, we can accomplish that task”. Whether it’s a bad or good thing, I do think its unavoidable but there are avenues where it can be less harmful than it currently is as Hurst described as using these “industrial tools sensibly”. Pollan shows that some farmers do take it upon themselves to farm and produce more responsibly compared to the big corporations who control most of the market. Even with the few who are farming in a more sensible fashion are still outnumbered and our society is still going to consume what the industries produce.

Although American culture has been reshaped to a culture of eating corn, I wouldn’t say it’s the consumers who have started the change but the technology developed in farming as well as the industries behind it. It’s not hard to see why we have shifted to a culture of eating corn but I don’t think it’s the best path to be on. I see many health problems linked to modern food production. We may consume too much antibiotics from the meats, too much salt, sugar and fat from the frozen foods as well as chemicals from the vegetables. It may seem impossible to move away from a culture of industrial eaters but which knowledge of how industrial agriculture works, I think people will start to see its flaws and start following the advice of Pollan.

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