Op-Ed by Food, Inc. Producer- Good Food for All is not “Elitist”

An op-ed in the Post last week by Eric Schlosser (author of “Fast Food Nation” and co-producer of Food, Inc.) decries healthy/local food enthusiasts being called “elitist”.

This falls in line with what the Reserve’s small farmers are seeing- the people who sign up for CSAs or visit the market each week are not wealthy, but just regular people. “I have people using their tax refund to buy a CSA share, or people that are interested in our food because of health issues,” one farmer told us.  A very successful program run by the MD Department of Ag  allows low income folks to use food vouchers at area farmers markets.

In fact, Schlossher writes, working toward healthy food for all is an exercise in democracy against the increasingly monopolized food system, an effort that will help the poor most of all:

“Calling these efforts elitist renders the word meaningless. The wealthy will always eat well. It is the poor and working people who need a new, sustainable food system more than anyone else. They live in the most polluted neighborhoods. They are exposed to the worst toxic chemicals on the job. They are sold the unhealthiest foods and can least afford the medical problems that result.”