The Farmer in Chief -- Why our Presidential Candidates should be Talking about Food Security

This is quoted from the 10/9/08 article in the New York Times by the non-industrial based food advocate, Michael Pollin, The Farmer in Chief. It's an open letter written to our President-elect on the importance of food security.

Everyone should read this article. It will encourage readers to consider each food purchase carefully. I also think it will open up opportunities for local farmers and ranchers. The message here is that food IS a national security issue. If you do not have access to safe food for your family, what would you do?

"The American people are paying more attention to food today than they have in decades, worrying not only about its price but about its safety, its provenance and its healthfulness. There is a gathering sense among the public that the industrial-food system is broken. Markets for alternative kinds of food — organic, local, pasture-based, humane — are thriving as never before. All this suggests that a political constituency for change is building and not only on the left: lately, conservative voices have also been raised in support of reform. Writing of the movement back to local food economies, traditional foods (and family meals) and more sustainable farming." Michael Pollin