Of course the local food movement isn’t going to solve the hunger problem in America [“The Locavore’s Illusions,” Oct. 14]. That’s not one of its goals, nor one of its motivations.
The local food movement is about supporting small farmers, preserving open spaces, reducing energy usage and eating healthier, tastier food. For backyard gardeners, it’s also about just plain healthier living.
She calls Berg’s very valid critique of Sesame Street’s avoidance of any mention of the government’s role in addressing food insecurity “a sobering self-check for those of us easily enchanted with the vision of a foodie utopia where a rainbow coalition of backyard farmers will solve the nation’s food ills by growing charmingly mottled heirloom tomatoes.”
No, it isn’t. One has nothing to do with the other.
Ms. Warner should speak for herself. If she thought growing her own “charmingly mottled heirloom tomatoes” would fix the hunger problem, I’m glad Berg cleared that up for her. But her truly weird disconnect from reality is not, thank goodness, shared by the rest of us.
Jane Stein, SHOREHAM, VT.