People need help to change the way they eat... this is what government is for in my opinion.... We should make food an issue for everyone who runs for office.
Mark BittmanRead
Thanks to farm subsidies, the fine collaboration between agribusiness and Congress, soy, corn and cattle became king. And chicken soon joined them on the throne. It was during this period that the cycle of dietary and planetary destruction began, the thing we're only realizing just now.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the negative impact of government subsidies on food production and the environment.
Mark Bittman's quote highlights the consequences of agricultural policies that favor certain crops and livestock through subsidies, leading to a cycle of environmental and health issues. He suggests that while these practices made crops like soy, corn, and cattle dominant, it also initiated a detrimental cycle that we are only beginning to understand and address.
Themes
AgricultureSubsidiesDietEnvironmentHealth
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about agricultural policy reform.
More from Mark Bittman
All quotes →Our demand for meat, dairy and refined carbohydrates - the world consumes one billion cans or bottles of Coke a day - our demand for these things, not our need, our want - drives us to consume way more calories than are good for us.
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I'll never stop eating animals, I'm sure, but I do think that for the benefit of everyone, the time has come to stop raising them industrially and stop eating them thoughtlessly
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