Sir; Pressure groups and gurus dominate the food industry. Despite their rise to élite positions in society, they remain as outsider rebels because, as underdogs, they are not subject to investigation. This privilege has reached a peak of unfairness in the attack on the chicken industry by Channel 4's The Truth About Your Food and by Jamie Oliver. The programme portrayed consumers as nice and the food industry as nasty. In fact, consumers are the same self-centered and selfish people as you and I. Consumers care about price. They want higher quality and a lower price. They don't really care how that paradox is achieved. To become a consumer is not to become a fascist. But today's shoppers have to balance an impossible array of moral dilemmas - environment, developing nations, animal welfare, British farmers, and the changing rules of medical science. The programme also suggested there was a simple and good alternative to standard chickens but the mainstream food industry was too stupid or too cruel to change it. However, feeding more than 60 million people who live on a small northern island is never going to be easy. Farmers' markets are not the answer. Local supply is not possible for big cities such as London. It was also a cheap thrill for Channel 4 to show viewers the death of a chicken. But, like all living things, chickens are going to die. The food lobby has failed to notice the most obvious facts. The gurus have the privilege of not being questioned on basic issues. They, and their friends at Channel 4, have had it easy for far too long.