[lbo-talk] Pollan/Obesity in Canada

Michael Perelman michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Mon Oct 13 13:06:25 PDT 2003


Economists have been pushing the low food price explanation for a while.

On Mon, Oct 13, 2003 at 02:59:54PM -0400, Doug Henwood wrote:
> Michael Dawson -PSU wrote:
>
> >Corporate capitalism is an engine of mass obesity in its richer
> >areas. The bottom line requires fatter butts. It's one of the last
> >frontiers of unexhausted "growth opportunities."
>
> But the upper classes aren't fat. This gives new meaning to accumulation!
>
> >IMHO, Pollan does a major disservice by diverting attention from
> >such basic realities. Changing ag policy would do little or nothing
> >to slow the food marketing juggernaut.
>
> I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm certain the relative
> price of food and its share of consumption expenditures has been
> falling for a very long time. So Pollan's "cheap food" explanation
> would have to contend with that.
>
> I have a grudge against him. About 13 years ago, he rejected a piece
> of mine that Harper's had commissioned because it had "too many
> ideas" in it (that's a direct quote, not a paraphrase). From reading
> this piece and some of his others I see that an excess of ideas never
> troubles him. In this piece he had just one idea, which was several
> short of a good analysis.
>
> Doug
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-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu



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