The hard reality of the economic implosion has not been lost on the food marketers. McDonald’s advertises that you can get a sandwich, fries and a soft drink for less than $5. Snickers’ new slogans include Hungerency, Snack Sum Yum, others. Subliminal advertising is very effective. When people are hungry to begin with, it packs an even greater wallop.

The smart money may be buying shares in junk food companies, knowing that this recession will be with us for a good long time. The smart people, however, are driving the movement for organic and locally grown food.

Michael Pollan’s Open Letter to President-elect Obama brilliantly lays out the connection between health care, energy policy and climate change.

… The good news is that the twinned crises in food and energy are creating a political environment in which real reform of the food system may actually be possible for the first time in a generation. The American people are paying more attention to food today than they have in decades, worrying not only about its price but about its safety, its provenance and its healthfulness. There is a gathering sense among the public that the industrial-food system is broken..

In the midst of the grim news, there are many signs of hope including the urban gardening movement.

Tags: locally grown, Michael Pollan, organic food