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emily's picture

Save the Drama

Submitted by emily on Tue, 09/09/2008 - 6:36pm.
I too was not surprised when reading about marketing within Whole Foods. Most people are looking for something they cannot even really define -- organic food. Whole Foods is selling an image that people want to see so I am not surprised that when stepping back and looking to where the food actually came from, there are some grey areas as to whether or not the food is "organic", as Whole Foods wholesomely states. So while I definitely believe this background information, I do think that Pollan exaggerates and uses his writing to be more dramatic with his claims, as if Whole Food's involvement in the "industrial organic complex" is a big surprise. While I have not read the chapter on vegetarians yet, from the statement posted above, I feel that Pollan is just being dramatic again. I am a vegetarian, not because of the ethical standpoint, but because I straight up do not like the taste of meat. Yes, Pollan is trying to make a point and needs to generalize to do so, but to say one's ethical position is naive is overly judgemental. If one believes that the industry treats animals cruelly, does not want to support that, and feels that by not eating meat this viewpoint is expressed, then let that person believe that. In no way can the processing, packaging, and world-wide shipping of meats and other foods come close to mimicking the "natural world".

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