Mark Bittman
“What if I told you there was a topic that people have been talking about for over 30 years, yet it’s only gotten progressively worse… That topic is the food system. A conversation that is so unnecessarily complicated. In my opinion, anyway…. Now everyone is NOT going to eat a plant based diet, I know, but what if we could feel convinced about where our food came from so that we didn’t have to question, instead just enjoy.” Mark Bittman
On May 5th, I attended a discussion at Greenwich, CT library with Mark Bittman and Kathleen Finlay.
It was centered around our food system—what it looked like in the past, where it is now, and what we can do to make it more promising for our health and the health of the environment in the future.
Mark Bittman is an-ever evolving food journalist who covers all aspects of food from cooking to issues of health, agriculture, policy… ALL things food to put it simply. His year old podcast Food with Mark Bittman is introduced by him as “working together to expand the message that food is important, cooking is important, but it goes way beyond that.”
Kathleen Finlay is a leader in sustainable food and farming who has made notable contributions towards environmental progress.
Since we weren’t allowed to take photos at the event, and I follow rules…sometimes… I searched Mark Bittman on Tumblr, a platform that I often use to enjoy unique content. What I found was a controversial opinion that I believe deserves attention. It read as follows:
“The meal I cooked today was made up of foods that pompous, elitist food writers like Mark Bittman think low-income people should be cooking every day when they come home from their two (or three) part-time jobs: beans and greens made from 1 lb of dried white beans and a whole bunch of mustard greens and a very simple bread. The bread has to rise overnight. The beans had to soak overnight. The greens had to be washed with several changes of water in a clean sink. It was cheap, but it required a lot of planning, effort, and knowledge and would be difficult to impossible for someone who had young children, was disabled, or had not been taught how to cook. How many low-income people fit into one or more of those three categories? (A lot!) I’m becoming convinced that those articles that purport to help low-income eat healthily and cheaply are actually for people who want to feel righteous at the expense of low-income people.”
I’ll start with writing that although that reflection is a reasonable statement, I don’t believe it’s justified. While wholesome home cooking does “require a lot of planning, effort, and knowledge” it is not impossible, instead it is a sacrifice that will generate a better lifestyle as a result of the improvements in one's diet. There is information that is being put out for the public at no cost so we must utilize that to understand and implement healthier habits. When it comes to cooking, there are adjustments and alternatives to making everything from scratch. It is not about having the perfect diet, it is about being informed and being more intentional about our choices as a result. Another point— we shouldn’t eat a certain way because others say it’s best…we must do it because we want to reap the benefits. The repercussions of eating processed & fast food are much more grave.
Ms. Finlay started the conversation by delving into Mr. Bittman’s journey in the food world. Mr. Bittman shared his great success as a food writer and explained that as his role developed he became more interested in larger topics as they pertain to food (public health, sustainable farming, etc.), but the problem was that in the 90’s, no one was willing to listen. It wasn’t until more recently that Mr. Bittman was able to generate a sincere audience around those topics.
They went on to talk about industrial farming and how it is geared towards corporate profit and how its practices are:
harming the soil
highly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions
exploiting animals
causing a public health crisis as a result of the ultra processed food it is producing
…amongt other things!
“This is dense stuff” stated Mr. Bittman multiple times. Meaning it- the food system- is a complicated and heavy topic! The externalities of our food system are many and while there is some good, there is much bad that requires everyone’s immediate attention.
When thinking about the food system it is not something that we can think about independently, it is not solely about food. It is a confluence of multiple variables that are working together to get the food that ends up in our homes. So we must look at it holistically. If we zoom out, it typically begins with an interaction between humans and nature. It’s important to make that a sustainable exchange over time and across generations so that our natural resources remain abundant. It is then the responsibility of companies and governmental institutions to set methods & policies that encourage a healthy transfer of goods.
So how can we spark conversation for change? Events like this are a great way, however we must also have these conversations in places where the people need it most. Empowering communities that have historically been marginalized and that continue to be negatively affected by the political food climate. That is where the most impact is needed to truly change the damaged food system.
A few of Mr. Bittman’s general suggestions for impact:
Approach political representatives
Stop using antibiotics in animals
Regulate factory farming
Problems to rectify:
Land had been distributed unfairly and inequitably
Way that we do agriculture is harming people & the environment
A few things that were mentioned by both Ms. Finlay and Mr. Bittman that really resonated with me:
FOOD IS A HUMAN RIGHT
“Food is not elite, but closer to a fundamental right”
“Fixing food is fixing our relationship to the land”
“This year more people died from diet related diseases than died from covid”
And although many may think that food choices are simple and obvious decisions people should make if they care enough about their health, it is not that easy. As Mr. Bittman pointed out, not everyone is equal, not everyone can make the best choices, and there is a ridiculous amount of misinformation surrounding nutrition! “Just look at supermarkets, that’s the food that’s being offered to us, it’s what is most widely available. So before we can give full responsibility to the average person, we must first produce a healthier food system.”
Approaching the end, Ms. Finlay asked an awesome question. “Is anyone doing it right?”
To that Mr. Bittman responded, there are a few countries leading by example:
Chile implemented a sugar tax, banned marketing tactics like tony the tiger and captain crunch, and slapped warning labels on foods high in sugar.
India started a program encouraging people to farm without chemicals in order to promote a healthier nation and sustainable development.
What I like about Mark Bittman is that he discusses often dismissed topics such as race, income inequality, and social justice as integral parts when talking about our food system. I love that, because our food system cannot be addressed without acknowledging those details.
ALL of that being said…We must make changes upstream so that the choices are easy for the average consumer! Government support for a healthier food system is essential. Food is one of the basic necessities of life. It contains nutrients that directly impact the growth, development, and recovery of our body so honoring it is crucial to our evolution.