Food & Society Memo: Michael Pollan on the Pleasures of Eating

Writer Michael Pollan, author of the best selling book "The Omnivor's Dilemma," has a new book coming out this week.

The book, "In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto" suggests there once was a time when knowing what to eat was easy. It not only was encoded in our genes so to speak, it also was culturally based, and a decision unfettered by so many middle men.

Over the past 40 years however, Pollan says the food industry and nutritionists have interfered with out diet. Among the results of that interference, Pollan argues, is confusion--and an epidemic of food-related diseases.

The book won't be published until January 31. However, Pollan published the first two chapters from his book in tomorrow's (Monday, January 7) issue of the United Kingdom-based Guardian newspaper.

Pollan's central point in the excerpt from the first chapters of his new book (which are published in the Guardian in essay form) is that it's time to forget about the science and marketing--and rediscover the pleasures of eating.

Like his book "The Omnivor's Dilemma," Pollan's new book is likely to get lots of attention and stimulate much discussion among consumers, nutritionists, farmers, the food industry and others interested in what we eat and how we grow and market food. We give you a preview here before the book comes out on January 31.

Read Pollan's essay from the Guardian here.