The Food Movement

   In the Newsweek article Divided We Eat, Lisa Miller explains how America’s food consumption depends on multiple factors such a social class and personal views. In class we are watching a informational documentary concerning the social structure and stratification in American Society. The way food is consumed by Americans directly shows the differences in class. Miller writes, “What this means, in practical terms, is that the richest Americans can afford to buy berries out of season at Whole Foods…while the food insecure often eat what they can: highly caloric, mass-produced foods like pizza and packed cakes that fill them up quickly.” 

   So yes, the rich have more diverse and healthy options for their children.  They use it to show off and flaunt their lifestyle. Like Miller says, “Food is no longer trendy or fashionable. It is fashion.” And the lower class tends to rally toward the more sweet and unhealthy food. Is it an issue of values within a different culture? Does the upper class simply have more time to prepare a home cooked meal every night? So many factors may contribute to the growing concern.  Miller points out the scary truth, “America is among the most obese of nations; Japan, with its relatively low income inequality, is the thinnest.” So the correlation between social class inequality and obesity is proven.  36% of our nation’s 6-11 year olds are considered over-weight of obese. Even though there are obvious other societal pressures, the main concern is how to stop the growing obesity among the lower class children.

   Can we fill the gap between the food consumers of our country? There are programs set in stone to improve the issue of obesity, especially of our young.  Michelle Obama is a large advocate of anti-obesity campaigns in our present day. She started a campaign in February 2010 called “Let’s Move”. Later that year she proposed to instill dramatic action to build sidewalks, promote breast-feeding, and to ban deep fryers in schools. The following is from this website (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/11/michelle-obama-unveils-anti-childhood-obesity-action-plan/)   and explains her views and ambitions to change the food American children eat. 

“On March 16, Mrs. Obama, appearing before a Grocery Manufacturers Association conference in Washington told the industry representatives, "you all produce much of the food that our children eat -- and have marketed to them -- each day. The decisions you make determine what's in our grocery store shelves, what's in our school lunches, and what's in the thousands of advertisements our kids are exposed to each year. And I know that many of you are undertaking efforts to significantly reformulate your products -- and I hope that the time will come when all of you are." The issue has been recognized by many and changes are starting to occur.

Overall like the interviewee, Pollan, told Lisa Miller in Divided We Eat,

“The food movement is still very young.””