Food Thoughtfulness Advocates Disturbing the Powerful

Who knew that food could become so complicated and food choices fraught with not just personal but political significance? Marion Nestle’s site, Food Politics, is great. I have her book, What to Eat but, alas, have not read it yet. She and Michael Pollan are truly thought-provoking scholars. (Our own food situation is currently so complicated by M’s (hopefully temporary) allergies that I hesitate to impose more complexity at the moment.)

I found a recent post of hers about how BigFood is reacting to her, Pollan’s and other voices speaking out about the implications of current practices and policies both unsurprising and depressing. She has a somewhat more optimistic take on it, though:

If our professorial opinions cannot be offered without public disclaimers and insistence on equal time for opposing views, I have to assume that what we are saying must be perceived as influential. If it indeed is influential, I expect even more pushback as the current food movement extends its reach and becomes stronger and more effective.

Trouble? Bring it on.

She is also, by the way, another instance of a writer doing excellent entrepreneurial work online to promote her own efforts. I should start compiling a list of these interesting folks as I find them. (Bed Timing and Sarah Pekkanen are two others that come to mind quickly.)