To me he represents the best that an academic can do today:
-- Do the research intelligently -- Tell the truth -- Reach as wide an audience as possible.
He writes beautifully and clearly, and many of his books are based on personal experience as well as research.
It's true that there are many times when I read him, that I see an individual privileged enough to worry about what he eats, not whether he will eat, on a particular day. Which is not the case for the large majority of people on this planet. But he is writing for people who do have a choice and whose choice can make a difference for themselves, for the planet, for the economy, and for the political system of this country. The industrialized agricultural system that he criticizes needs to be exposed for the human, environmental (and ultimately) economic disaster that it is. I thought this last piece in the NYT was pretty good and eminently accessible.
I also read "Living at Nature's Pace" -- a very interesting book that discusses the political reasons for divorcing people from the land. I recommend it to those of you who are interested in these questions.
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Natures-Pace-Farming-American/dp/189013256X
It is true that Pollan doesn't much talk about the agri-labor question. I don't think that diminishes his work. He does what he does best. Those more expert in labor issues can deal with those. There is some discussion of work in the "Nature's Pace" book.
Joanna