Starving at the supermarket & hidden crisis of nutrient density | Michelle Cannon | TEDxLake Geneva

We are surrounded by more food than ever before, yet we are facing a nutritional drought. Why does a traditionally grown vegetable provide more for our bodies than the produce found in modern grocery stores? This talk pulls back the curtain on the institutional food system to reveal how common agricultural practices—from water-soluble phosphorus to anhydrous ammonia—are inadvertently killing the very microbial life necessary for nutrient-dense food.

By exploring the "underground" community of homesteaders, small-scale farmers, and regenerative growers, we learn that the solution isn't found in a consolidated supply chain, but at the ground level of our own backyards. Discover how to identify truly healthy food, why "soil smell" matters, and how to reconnect with a local food system that prioritizes human health over industrial volume. It is a call to move beyond the grocery store and rediscover the life-sustaining power of real, nutrient-dense ingredients. Michelle Cannon is a farmer and entrepreneur dedicated to building community through local food. As the sole owner of LarryVille Gardens, her 11.5-acre farm in Burlington, she has long valued the personal connections made at summer and winter farmer's markets.

When the pandemic forced those markets to close, she quickly pivoted her entire business model, establishing new delivery systems and safe on-farm pickups. Through that challenge, she reaffirmed her core belief: the hardest part of the distance wasn't the logistics, but the loss of human interaction. Michelle is passionate about the vital role small farms play in bringing people together. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx