--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine if we had a food system that…" description: "\"Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the land. Imagine if we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png" --- # Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced… ![“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the land. Imagine if we could eat every meal knowing these few simple things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what it…” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png) > “Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the land. Imagine if we could eat every meal knowing these few simple things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what it really cost. If that was the reality, then every meal would have the potential to be a perfect meal.” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sustainable food system should provide nutritious, transparent, and environmentally restorative meals, turning each dish into an ideal experience. **In simple terms:** Food should be healthy, clear, and earth‑friendly. Key Takeaway Support transparent, regenerative food practices. Themes sustainability food ethics mindful consumption environmental stewardship Mood thoughtful motivated hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grocery shopping - home cooking - restaurant choices - policy advocacy Key Concepts regenerative agriculture food transparency nutritional awareness Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to know your food’s origin? - How can you support land‑restoring agriculture? A Different Perspective Implementation can be costly and requires systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Simple things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-things/) [Wholesome food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholesome-food/) ## Related quotes > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Imagine all the food mankind has produced over the past 8,000 years. Now consider that we need to produce that same amount again —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/imagine-all-the-food-mankind-has-produced-over-the-past-8-000-years/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [Food = joy ... guilt ... anger ... pain ... nurturing ... friendship ... hatred ... the way you look and feel… Food = everything you can imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-powter/food-joy-guilt-anger-pain-nurturing-friendship-hatred-the-way-you/) [Susan Powter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-powter/) > [If we could stop wasting food, imagine how many more people we could feed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-cowin/if-we-could-stop-wasting-food-imagine-how-many-more-people-we-could/) [Dana Cowin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-cowin/) > [“An ordinary man can enjoy breakfasting on juice and rye bread. But when you are underfed, scorned, miserable or just plain bored, you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-vern/an-ordinary-man-can-enjoy-breakfasting-on-juice-and-rye-bread-but/) R.S. Vern > [Eating wholesome foods and getting plenty of sleep is crucial for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-saliers/eating-wholesome-foods-and-getting-plenty-of-sleep-is-crucial-for-me/) [Emily Saliers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-saliers/) > [All wholesome food is caught without a net or trap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/all-wholesome-food-is-caught-without-a-net-or-trap/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-have-been-assured-by-a-very-knowing-american-of-my-acquaintance-in/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Virtue, like wholesome food, is better than poisons, however corrected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-like-wholesome-food-is-better-than-poisons-however-corrected/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Cookery, or the art of preparing good and wholesome food, and of preserving all sorts of alimentary substances in a state fit for human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-accum/cookery-or-the-art-of-preparing-good-and-wholesome-food-and-of/) Friedrich Accum > [“Almost all our health concerns can be traced back to our belly. Ensure a healthy gut and the rest will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/behzad-azargoshasb/almost-all-our-health-concerns-can-be-traced-back-to-our-belly-ensure/) Behzad Azargoshasb > [If you are feeling tired or ill, rest. Your body will always want rest and ease if it's sick. When you become quiet, ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/if-you-are-feeling-tired-or-ill-rest-your-body-will-always-want-rest/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [“a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-young-healthy-child-well-nursed-is-at-a-year-old-a-most-delicious/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Starbucks is committed to evolving and enhancing our customer experience with innovative and wholesome food offerings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/starbucks-is-committed-to-evolving-and-enhancing-our-customer/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [Wholesome food is wholesome food anywhere. I may not like something but, generally speaking, if it's a busy, street food stall serving mystery meat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/wholesome-food-is-wholesome-food-anywhere-i-may-not-like-something/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) ## More by Michael Pollan > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) > [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The term 'cost shifting,' as I use it, refers to those items in a university's budget that used to be reimbursed by the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-term-cost-shifting-as-i-use-it-refers-to-those-items-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) Browse all 3,987 Cost quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the land. Imagine if we could eat every meal knowing these few simple things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what it really cost. If that was the reality, then every meal would have the potential to be a perfect meal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Pollan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/michael-pollan-408_cost_imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-act_1106024.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a…” — Michael Pollan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Pollan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Imagine if we had a food...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```