Photo credit: Lucy Williams

Journalist Michael Pollan’s 2006 book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” exposes the realities of four American food chains: industrial, organic, local and foraged. Pollan went on a nationwide journey through farms and factories of these systems to expose surprising truths hidden by large food corporations.

You’d be surprised to learn that every component of your fast food meal, from the juicy burger patty to the crispy fries dipped in a creamy vanilla milkshake — is made from one simple ingredient: corn. From the corn flour that breads fried foods to the corn syrup that sweetens artificial drinks to the corn mulch that feeds every pasture-raised animal we consume, corn is the foundation of almost all commercial eating in America. This fact is one of many hidden revelations journalist Michael Pollan reveals in his groundbreaking book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” The book explores four food systems: industrial, organic, local and foraged.

We begin by looking at our industrial meal chain, spelled C.O.R.N. Following World War II, large food corporations and the government incentivized farmers to chemically adapt this grass for accelerated mass production. These monocultural practices (only planting one species on the same soil) and using fertilizers, derived from leftover toxic war substances, significantly lowered corn’s nutritional value. Essentially, your corn on the cob is a blander, weaker version of real corn. Corn farming has risen to the level of overproduction, meaning agribusinesses now expend this cheap crop for all goods possible, both edible and nonedible. Initially serving to prevent American famine, this mighty plant is now the catalyst for American obesity. 

Another shock came when I read that our socially praised “organic” food system tells a similar story, according to Pollan’s research. After visiting organic farm suppliers for so-called “clean” chains such as Whole Foods, Pollan concluded that although organic groceries are free of chemicals and GMOs, the system still uses unsustainable practices like monoculture and long-distance distribution. Buying organic is a step up for your health, but to truly contribute to the fight for sustainability in agriculture, we must dig further.

Pollan then introduces an alternative to our factory-covered America: the sustainable local food chain. He recounts his experience at Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm, a local producer in Virginia, to demonstrate the benefits of localizing agriculture: increased animal welfare, healthy crop diversity and lower waste, to name a few. For my fellow Angelenos, many local farmers’ markets source from these types of farms, and to give back, we must work with organizations, such as Upward Bound House to make them accessible in Inner cities.

Finally, Pollan went beyond expectations with a fourth, and quite unconventional, system: the seemingly ancient hunter-gatherer food chain. Along with researching, he decided to participate in the chain himself. He hunted boars and foraged mushrooms for a week with experienced friends. On this journey, he grappled with the generally ignored ethics of killing and eating animals, and the challenges of distinguishing between edible and poisonous plants — all to address our devastating disconnect with the natural world.

Surprisingly, the highlight of this book was not the shocking nature of Pollan’s discoveries, but rather, the depth of their truth. Pollan’s incredible journalistic drive led him to undergo an intensive research process — he takes us on a national journey to masses of cornfields and factories, into the stables of the Polyface Farm and out into remote boar territories in Sonoma County. He uncovered truths that most American companies try to hide from the public, even getting barred from certain places along the way. I mean, you and I both had to rely on his exposé to know what we’re putting in our bodies. This only proves most Americans can’t follow their food from the damaged ground to their table. If we are what we eat, it is now impossible for us to know who we are. 

Another compelling factor was that this book is a genre of its own. Pollan went beyond the traditional nutritional self-help book that scares the consumer into adopting a new commercial diet, and he instead became an activist fighting for a more sustainable future. He collectivizes the fight for ethical agriculture by combining Americans’ interests in health with a societal effort to go green.

Following the book’s release, Pollan released “Food Inc.,” a documentary spotlighting his research on monopoly food companies’ detrimental impacts on our agricultural system. In 2023, Pollan released a must-watch modernized sequel to his documentary, “Food Inc. 2,” providing an optimistic update on the American food system. This film was a beacon of hope compared to the first, spotlighting thought-provoking activists and farmers working to overcome exploitation by mass food companies.

Since 2006, Michael Pollan has been calling the American people to take action. His book brought the information we need to fuel the movement reclaiming our food system, and according to Food Inc. 2, it’s working — but only with the cooperation of US citizens. So the next time you sit down with a meal, take a look at your food and see if you can track where it comes from. Fail this test? Then it’s about time we find out.