Pollan's warning to President-Elect: Food as a National Security Issue

Slow Food Nation Victory Garden Rendering

Michael Pollan, writer and professor at UC Berkeley, recently sent an open letter to both Barack Obama and John McCain warning that food is a National Security Issue.  I think we can all agree that America is tired of politicians' glittering generalities on alternative energy, national security, and economic change.  With one single issue, food, Michael Pollan managed to address all the political hot topics while presenting real "change we can believe in" and how to put our "country first".  

The letter began with a critical analysis of our industrial food system, which is based on oil rather than the sun.  It gave practical steps to "resolarizing the American farm" and taking our food system off of oil.  Imagine a government system that provides subsidies to sustainable agriculture rather than the overproduction of commodity corn and soy.  Imagine a government that taxed the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics.  If only feedlots were legally required to properly treat their mass amounts of fecal waste.  Better yet, if feedlots were a thing of the past.   All of this is possible in Pollan's world.

At the end of Pollan's extensive and informative letter he called for the next president to transform America's food culture starting with a white house farm rather than a white house lawn.  Pollan's proposal even suggested a white house farmer in coordination with the white house chef who would be identified with the Slow Food Movement.

Pollan's recommendations didn't stop there; he spoke of executive family dinners at a table (rather than the Reagan TV tray dinners), one meatless day a week, and even occasional participation by the First family on the White House farm.  This image would indeed be very powerful in transforming America's poor food culture.  

No matter who takes the presidential office, Republicrat or Democan, black or white, male or female, food should surely be a top priority .  I am relieved to see that some are able to recognize the true severity of our times and go beyond party battles.  Lets get politicians to talk about tangible change and then we might know who to elect.