
Today, Slashfood wishes prominent food writer, speaker, and celebrity Michael Pollan happy birthday. Pollan's revolutionary and compelling arguments about the direction of the food industry continues to influence both food enthusiasts and politicians. The Omnivore's Dillemma has become somewhat of a bible for gourmands, farmers, and people simply concerned with reforming the modern food chain.
When I think of the trend to eat local I think of Pollan and his impressive impact on American food culture. It's no wonder that on May 8, 2007, the James Beard Foundation named The Omnivore's Dilemma its 2007 winner for the best food writing. Recently, Pollan published In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto which reveals the relationship with what he terms "nutritionism" and the "Western diet." Recently, he is investigating practices of the meat industry.
While Pollan did not initiate the current discourse on food, he has contributed enormously to it. Pollan's work on the food industry and trends in American agriculture have drastically opened up people's minds when thinking about how to eat. In 2002, he received the Reuters World Conservation Union Global Awards in environmental journalism.











