Food: it's what you eat!

Here's a 'food manifesto for the future', which is really a fancy way of saying 'here's some ideas about food'. I recommend it.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/a-food-manifesto-for-the-future/?src=me&ref=homepage

Lots to chew on in this article (pun intended), but my personal favorite is farm subsidies. As here:

End government subsidies to processed food. We grow more corn for livestock and cars than for humans, and it’s subsidized by more than $3 billion annually; most of it is processed beyond recognition. The story is similar for other crops, including soy: 98 percent of soybean meal becomes livestock feed, while most soybean oil is used in processed foods. Meanwhile, the marketers of the junk food made from these crops receive tax write-offs for the costs of promoting their wares. Total agricultural subsidies in 2009 were around $16 billion, which would pay for a great many of the ideas that follow.


True Story: I have a friend that works for the federal gov't; he's an economist, very bright guy, and he works to evaluate the (in)effectiveness of farm subsidies. Every year he recommends that the government take steps to reduce subsidies and improve the overall health of the economy, and every year the politicians ignore the recommendations. That's your government at work. At least they're managing defense spending. Wait... No, no they aren't.