Food, Inc. Scratches the Surface of Food Production Issues

On Friday night I went to view the premier of Food, Inc. in Nashville at the only location daring enough to show it: The Belcourt Theater in Hillsboro Village. Not much of the film provided new insights to an industry I have already spent some time learning more about. It was structured in short chapters on:

• the fast food industry and the economic benefits of eating fast, cheap food
• illegal immigrants working in meat processing plants (yes, that's a euphemism for slaughterhouse)
• industrial meet processing
• industrial livestock raisers (esp. chicken)
• corn farmers and genetically modified seed
• public & legal policies
• government influence
• sustainable & local farming
• call for action and change

I cannot remember all of the names and titles of the sections, but this list provides a fair overview of the major talking points of the film. I think the earlier NYTimes Review was accurate in saying "Time and again the movie stops short before it really gets started." With so many sub-topics, there is no way to do justice to any of them in a 93-minute film. It simply provides a nasty taste of the major issues surrounding food production in America.

Everyone who sees this film is guaranteed to learn something shocking enough to inspire the curiosity to learn more and to spark the momentum to change the system. Food, Inc. will be most influential in introducing newbies to the realities of food production in America and the possibilities that with each item scanned in the supermarket, we can slowly increase the demand for local, organic, and healthy food in our communities.

As was discussed in the post-viewing panel discussion at the Belcourt, people choose to eat local or organic foods for a variety of reasons: animal treatment, pesticide use, local agriculture, local economy, health, taste, etc. I think this is the kind of film that is outrageous enough, yet brief enough to start more serious conversations and change.

Check out the Food, Inc. website for more info, including reading lists.

NYTimes Review of Food, Inc.

Meet Your New Farmer: Hungry Corporate Giant

Thanks, Emily, for passing on this NYTimes review of Food, Inc. The ultimate review is that the documentary opens up a world of potential questions but ultimately falls short of truly digging deep into the myriad of issues discussed. I can't wait to see it (already bought tix!) two weeks from now at the Belcourt, followed by a panel discussion with local members of the food industry. I CAN'T WAIT!

Everyone in Nashville should go!

Food Inc.

Check out this trailer for a new movie coming out about the food we eat. I cannot believe this movie actually made it into production! I'll be curious to see how readily available it is for viewing. It looks like there is commentary throughout from farmers and authors like Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemna) and Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation).

I am so excited that there is finally room in our society to question the methods and the madness behind food. We do this with politics, immunizations, environmental concerns, faith and religion, etc. etc. We have finally seen the point where the actions of the tobacco industry are more transparent. Why not food? Why is the food industry not more transparent so that we can be aware of what goes on behind the scenes - good or bad? And why are some people so resistant to the idea that things may not be how they seem? In the name of exploration, I say Americans (including myself) need to learn more about this!

This is only the tip of the iceberg, but I'm still thankful for it.

Imagine where we'd be...

Heard this interesting article on NPR this morning on my way to work. It's about the rise of organic farming in India, where 30 times more farmers use organic methods than in the United States. Unfortunately, there is little choice involved—now the soil there is so leeched of necessary minerals and nutrients that the amount of fertilizer required to grow any crops at all has grown exponentially. " 'Imagine how much organic farmers might be able to produce,' Sharma says, 'if India's government spent even a fraction of the billions of dollars it has spent promoting chemical farming.' "