Michael Pollan Calls School Lunch a Disposall Scheme for Surplus Agricultural Commodities on Moyers

[Analiese Paik]

If you haven't seen this, it's worth the 20 minutes it take to see the video. Bill Moyers interviews Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley and author of IN DEFENSE OF FOOD: AN EATER'S MANIFESTO, about what's wrong with our food system and how it needs to change. His comments on school lunch are scathing and his recommendations daring, including moving the NSLP out of Ag and into the Heath and Human Sources or Education Dept., and mandating that a certain portion of school food be sourced locally to support local agriculture. If you only have a few minutes, fast forward the video to 15.5 minutes to hear the NSLP portion. I give thanks that Michael is the national voice for change and is getting so much attention. There is more hope for change than ever and we now have the well-crafted arguments of a highly-respected, very successful professor and author to use as our arguments.He also suggests that they rip out 5 acres of the White House lawn and plant an organic garden so the first family can eat locally. He points out that after Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden, enough Americans followed suit that 40% of food was produced in home gardens! In part 2 he makes a beautiful argument for eating locally and preserving/reclaiming farm land.