In Oct. 2008, author Michael Pollan wrote an open letter to the future president warning about the waning health of America's food systems. He wrote that "the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close."

Pollan urged the future president to rethink food policies, since they will have a large impact on a wide range of issues including national security, climate change, energy independence and health care.

Pollan is the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History Of Four Meals and In Defense Of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

This interview originally aired on Oct. 20, 2008.

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