Michael Pollan

Through his clear, concise, and compelling reporting, Michael Pollan has fostered a national conversation about food. With The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food, he has delineated the complex connections between what we grow and what we eat in an entirely original and provocative manner. Reading these books is a transformative act. They make clear how our individual food choices have consequences that stretch all the way back to the field. Pollan has become best known for his critique of today’s mass-produced industrialized food system and his suggestion that we could move to a more sustainable way of eating if we work with nature rather than against it. Pollan’s passionate arguments on behalf of local, sustainably grown food have helped precipitate a lively debate about the Farm Bill, which normally passes with scant public attention. His work has not only helped spur the burgeoning movement to reform school lunches and expand urban agriculture (including Michelle Obama’s organic garden), it has also made farming an attractive career for increasing numbers of young people. More recently Pollan has highlighted the connection between health care and food policy. With rates of obesity and diabetes soaring, it seems clear that we’re eating ourselves sick. Until we stop, affordable national health care will remain elusive.