Analysis Of Michael Pollan's Essay: The Vegetable Industrial Complex

618 Words3 Pages

All around the world people have different opinions about what can be fixed in their lives. There are so many proposals that are given daily, in an attempt to “fix” every issue found. Writer and Director Michael Pollan, addresses the issue of contaminated food in his essay The Vegetable-Industrial Complex. His short paper provides excellent detail on his topic, and strong examples are provided, however there is no official solution to the initial problem. If a proposal is given it must contain details that will help readers understand the situation. Pollan’s writing begins strong, he gives an excellent example of what can occur within the various food industries. He begins by providing a small example with some statistics to show how many …show more content…

Pollan writes, “Yet perhaps the gravest threat now to local food economies is, of all things, the government’s own well-intentioned efforts to clean up the industrial food supply” (Pollan 450). This statement basically means that as the government spends more money in an attempt to improve the overall cleanliness of industrial farms the local farms are forced to spend money they do not have.
Local farming economies must maintain their farms as closely as they can to the government’s standards. This means they must spend large amounts of money improving their facilities. Local markets typically bring in less money than the average store or supermarket. The larger industries are able to keep up with the ever changing regulations, and local farm owners fall so far into debt they are forced to sell their property.
Pollan’s essay on the contamination of our nations’ food is very insightful. He has excellent examples, but far too much detail. As any writer knows a proposal writing must contain a solution. Pollan was unable to portray a good solution to the initial problem. If someone has an issue and they want to fix it, they find a