Friday, June 4, 2010

Food Inc

I had been wanting to see Food, Inc ever since it came out.  I had heard so many things about it, including that it would make me turn vegetarian.  Finally a friend of mine with Netflix brought it over.  Oh my goodness, this movie is great! 

The movie talks about food production in the United States.  It explains how big business over the past several years has taken over.  I honestly want to watch the movie again with a note pad because there was so much interesting information. 

It is really scary how so few coporations can have such a huge influence on our country's food production.  Farmers are forced to bend to the wills of big businesses (Tyson & Perdue) otherwise they risk having their contracts canceled. 

The scenes showing chicken houses and cows 'pastures' were horrifying.  Chickens never see the daylight - ever!  And cows are ankle deep in manure. 

It also talks about how cows are fed corn because corn is cheap!  Thank you government supported agriculture.   Corn is not only cheap, but it fattens the cows up so that they can be slaughtered in 1/4 the time of grass fed cows.  This isn't safe for the cows because genetically they should be eating grass.  The corn can actually kill the cow if not for being fed a constant stream of antibiotics.  Yuck! 


My main take away from the movie was that we as consumers need to vote with our purchases.  As more and more consumers demand organic produce and ethically raised meat, farmers will come to meet that demand.  As long as we buy McDonalds and cheap meat at the supermarket, big business will continue to rule. 

Over the past few months I have become more and more interested in locally grown and raised food.  I have been buying a weekly organic produce box and after seeing Food, Inc I decided to buy a share in a local farm and recieve a monthly package of meat and eggs.   I will recieve my first package of meat in a couple of weeks and I'm really looking forward to it! 

I am not prefect and I think it is easy to think that since we can't eat 100% organic, then we shouldn't try.  But I really think that if we all can make small changes, the local farmers will be able to grow.  As more and more people make sustainable choices, the farmers economies of scale will grow and the cost of organic will come down. 

Have you seen Food, Inc?  Did it cause you to make any changes in your food purchases? 


12 comments:

  1. Oh I really liked seeing this movie in addition to reading a few books that talked more about where our food comes from.

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  2. I loved this movie. Food Inc, in combination with The Omnivore's Dilemma, have pushed me to try my absolute best to buy local and organic, regardless of the cost. It's just so important for our country's future that we try to make organic cheaper and more accessible for everybody. It's the way we should be eating!

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  3. I've never seen this movie, but it's been on my list of things to see for a while!

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  4. I joined a community sponsored agriculture group and a get a box of local fruits and veggies every week. It's great! The produce is 100x better than in grocery stores, and I feel great eating it.

    If you liked this movie, you might enjoy reading The Omnivore's Dilemma! It really makes you think about where your food is from.

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  5. I watched the movie and agree it was really good. It didn't cause me to make any changes, as growing up in the agriculture industry, I really knew a lot of it already.
    keep in mind that not all large scale farms operate in these negative ways. We produce 2000 lambs/year, and our animals are clean, healthy, fed properly, and I would bet money that they are happy.
    Educated food choice is such a luxury, this movie made me feel proud, even though there is so much wrong with the food industry. I hope that makes sense.

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  6. @Lindsay & arunninghokie - I jt started reading Omnivore's dilemna. It seems really good. I'll post a review when I finish.

    @Jessica - I don't think all farms are like this, but with big business demanding low cost meats it has forced the many farmers to lower standards.

    You are right - educated food choice is a big luxury and we are super lucky to have it. I think a lot of people don't know about the origins of their food and this movie is great at giving a glimse into some of the worst practices out there.

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  7. This movie was so eye opening. The footage of those chickens that couldn't even stand up because their legs didn't develop properly just broke my heart. :( It definitely made me want to put more of an effort into buying organic/local/free range/grass fed meats!

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  8. I haven't seen it yet, so thanks for your thoughts :). Love the blog!

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  9. About my curry recipe: I just use the curry powder + coconut milk + tomato paste + lemon juice + garlic. It's pretty fool proof haha. And it's spicy as it is since the curry powder we buy is hot flavoured!

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  10. I haven't seen it yet, but from what I hear on blogs like this, I need to, even though I already hold many of the views expressed in the film. I agree that it is crucial to use our purchasing power to make a shift in the dynamics of food and the corporations involved.

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  11. Food, Inc has only just come out in cinemas here in Aus, and it looks like I'll have to go see it, won't I? :D I've read several of Pollan's books and enjoyed them, so I'm sure this would be worthwhile. I wish we had CSA deliveries in my city!

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  12. I recently watched Food Inc as well and I agree - it's an eye-opening piece to say the least. I always try to support local and organic producers. I hit up farmers markets whenever possible! I'm in the process of trying to find a CSA as well. This is my first visit to your blog and I really love this post. I'm interested to see what more you have to say in the future (:

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