Michael Pollan
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And the most telling instance here, and this really got our attention that spring when we were deciding whether to make a sequel or not, was the day that John Tyson took out ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, an open letter to the president. And the reason they were doing that is because the public health authorities
And the most telling instance here, and this really got our attention that spring when we were deciding whether to make a sequel or not, was the day that John Tyson took out ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, an open letter to the president. And the reason they were doing that is because the public health authorities
And the most telling instance here, and this really got our attention that spring when we were deciding whether to make a sequel or not, was the day that John Tyson took out ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, an open letter to the president. And the reason they were doing that is because the public health authorities
were trying to shut down some of their processing plants in the high plains in Iowa because they had become vectors. They were bringing COVID into these communities. These people were working really close to one another in the cold with no PPE. And people were like turning off the production lines and vomiting and going right back to work. They were sick.
were trying to shut down some of their processing plants in the high plains in Iowa because they had become vectors. They were bringing COVID into these communities. These people were working really close to one another in the cold with no PPE. And people were like turning off the production lines and vomiting and going right back to work. They were sick.
were trying to shut down some of their processing plants in the high plains in Iowa because they had become vectors. They were bringing COVID into these communities. These people were working really close to one another in the cold with no PPE. And people were like turning off the production lines and vomiting and going right back to work. They were sick.
And the public health authorities in these towns and Waterloo, Iowa is the one we focused on. We're trying to like close them down for a while to clean them up and put some protocols in place.
And the public health authorities in these towns and Waterloo, Iowa is the one we focused on. We're trying to like close them down for a while to clean them up and put some protocols in place.
And the public health authorities in these towns and Waterloo, Iowa is the one we focused on. We're trying to like close them down for a while to clean them up and put some protocols in place.
And rather than do that, the president of Tyson writes this letter asking the president of the United States, who was Donald Trump at the time, to invoke the Defense Production Act to force open their production lines. And lo and behold, two or three days later, the president does it. The president writes an executive, signs an executive order written or drafted by Tyson and
And rather than do that, the president of Tyson writes this letter asking the president of the United States, who was Donald Trump at the time, to invoke the Defense Production Act to force open their production lines. And lo and behold, two or three days later, the president does it. The president writes an executive, signs an executive order written or drafted by Tyson and
And rather than do that, the president of Tyson writes this letter asking the president of the United States, who was Donald Trump at the time, to invoke the Defense Production Act to force open their production lines. And lo and behold, two or three days later, the president does it. The president writes an executive, signs an executive order written or drafted by Tyson and
opening up their production lines. And the reason we have antitrust laws in this country is to avoid concentrations of power. It's not just to protect consumers from price gouging. It's to protect the republic from overly powerful interests. And if you ever needed an example that we had gone too far in that direction, when you can have a company force the president's hand, and
opening up their production lines. And the reason we have antitrust laws in this country is to avoid concentrations of power. It's not just to protect consumers from price gouging. It's to protect the republic from overly powerful interests. And if you ever needed an example that we had gone too far in that direction, when you can have a company force the president's hand, and
opening up their production lines. And the reason we have antitrust laws in this country is to avoid concentrations of power. It's not just to protect consumers from price gouging. It's to protect the republic from overly powerful interests. And if you ever needed an example that we had gone too far in that direction, when you can have a company force the president's hand, and
And the Defense Production Act, you should understand, was something passed in the 50s, giving the president the power to force a company to do things in the public interest that they don't want to do. Like, say, a car company should start making tanks because we're in wartime or planes.
And the Defense Production Act, you should understand, was something passed in the 50s, giving the president the power to force a company to do things in the public interest that they don't want to do. Like, say, a car company should start making tanks because we're in wartime or planes.
And the Defense Production Act, you should understand, was something passed in the 50s, giving the president the power to force a company to do things in the public interest that they don't want to do. Like, say, a car company should start making tanks because we're in wartime or planes.
And basically, this was a perversion of the act because it was allowing the company to do exactly what it wanted to do. but using the federal power to do it. So all of this told us that the food system had reached a point of crisis in terms of concentration, and that was a reason to reopen the story and take another look at the food system.
And basically, this was a perversion of the act because it was allowing the company to do exactly what it wanted to do. but using the federal power to do it. So all of this told us that the food system had reached a point of crisis in terms of concentration, and that was a reason to reopen the story and take another look at the food system.