Since the biggest food producers have the largest advertising budgets, and since over 2/3 of food adverts are to promote processed foods, Pollan cautions against eating products advertised on television & automatically avoid eating 'edible foodlike substances'. Now there are definitely exceptions: California fruit growers for example. But for the most part, what we're seeing on TV ain't real food.
Some of the hardest working and cool people I know I met thru being a vendor at the Logan Square Farmer's Market. Some of the vendors there I've gotten to know very well and I can vouch for not only the quality of everything they bring to sell there, but also of their work ethic and their determination to make our little part of the country great. They work extremely hard and certainly aren't getting rich doing it. Needless to say, they have no marketing budget. (their stands at the farmers' markets ARE their marketing budget, and then they rely on word of mouth after that...). You'll never see them on TV promoting their heirloom tomatoes, pastured chickens or kohlrabi. The best thing we can do to help these small farms grow is to go to farmers markets (or independent grocers!) and start talking to them. Ask questions, visit the farms, buy the produce, cheese & meat and decide for yourself what you like best. Then tell your friends, your families & colleagues about your new discoveries, the great recipe you tried and nice farmer you met. That is the best we can help them with their marketing and hopefully give them a fighting chance against the big food companies.
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