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Food, Inc. - The Must See Film of the Summer!
Emily Lynne Ion
Monday, June 01, 2009
This is one movie that truly provides food for thought. Food, Inc, the new documentary film by producer/director Robert Kenner, lifts the veil on the U.S food industry - one that has often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihoods of American farmers, the safety of workers and our own environment.
In collaboration with investigative reporter Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and author Michael Pollen (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Kenner reveals how a handful of corporations control our nation’s food supply. Though the companies try to maintain the myth that our food still comes from farms with red barns and white picket fences, our food is actually raised on massive “factory farms” and processed in mega-industrial plants. The system is highly productive, and Americans are spending less on food than ever before – but at what cost?
Cattle are given feed that their bodies are not biologically designed to digest, resulting in new strains of E. coli bacteria, which sickens roughly 73,000 Americans annually. And because of the high proliferation of processed foods derived from corn, Americans are facing epidemic levels of diabetes among adults and alarming increases in obesity, especially among children.
And surprisingly, all of it is happening right under the noses of our government’s regulatory agencies, the USDA and the FDA. In the nation’s heartland, farmers have been silenced – afraid to talk about what’s happening due to fear of retaliation and lawsuits from giant corporations.
“This film was an eye-opening journey into the hidden side of mass food production,” said Executive Director Christopher Gavigan, after viewing the film last week. “But we have the power to change the system, not only with our votes, but also with our forks, three meals a day.”
And the movement is growing. In addition to seeing this film and sharing it with your friends, you can sign a petition to galvanize healthy eating in America’s schools. Help ensure the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act to assure safe and healthy food choices in schools. Please urge Congress to make healthy food a reality at all schools across the country. By signing the petition, you pledge to make healthy food a priority and are asking your representatives to do the same.
Posted by Andrea Bossenmeyer on 06/02 at 01:17 PM
I can’t wait to see this movie! Thank you so much for making it! Finally people will see what I’ve been trying to tell them for so long! Film is an amazing medium for educating.
Posted by Liz on 06/03 at 11:27 AM
Can’t wait to see it. Part of me is hoping it is not too good to be true…will these super powers really let this movie rain on their parade? I hope it comes out and everyone goes & sees it. I just emailed all my lady friends in the area for a girls movie night!
Posted by Cynthia Timm on 06/03 at 11:36 AM
Thank you for making this movie and exposing the ugly truth about our food system in the United States. It is literally killing us, and no one is the wiser. I can’t wait to see the movie!
Posted by Billie Coco-Travelstead on 06/03 at 12:06 PM
This is such a huge exciting jump to help the masses actually see what is going on. I teach some of these things shown, but this will be an amazing tool. Thanks for stepping out and thanks to the backers behind the scenes.
Posted by Anna Getty on 06/03 at 05:56 PM
I am beyond excited to see this. I am still very suspect of this activity being under the noses of our government agencies. I am sure our government is a silent partner in this corruption.
Posted by Theresa on 06/05 at 08:31 AM
I hope this movie does the same for our food industry as Super Size Me (by Morgan Spurlock) did for fast food restaurants. He documented himself eating all his meals at McDonalds for one month. He easily gained 30 lbs. in 30 days and went from healthy to borderline diabete from . He also focused on the poor unhealthy choices available through school lunch systems. We accept that a potato (as in french fries) counts as a vegetable serving (as in the food pyramid).
After his movie came out (2004), McDonald’s removed the term “super size” from their menu and started to include healthier choices like salads and apple slices on the kids menu. They even had a short-running campaign where adults could get pedometers with their salads to count how many steps we take in a day. They had a commercial showing customers clutching a McDonald’s branded bag and standing in front of an elevator then choosing to take the stairs instead. Their campaign encouraged people to change their fitness habits, not their eating.
We do have the power to make better choices and demand more from our food industry. We vote with our wallets. If we continue to buy it, they will continue to supply it. But with these difficult economic times, healthier options need to be affordable too.
Posted by Doris Roach on 06/05 at 09:35 AM
The government seems to think they know what is best for us. Can we not make our own informed decisions about the food we buy? Genetically modified foods need to be clearly labeled so I have the choice to buy it or not!
Posted by krazy kate on 06/09 at 02:25 PM
would there be a possible way to design one day out of the year . . just ONE. . & it be the same day for everyone in our entire country . .where all of us did not eat fast food.
pick a day . . . just one . . wouldnt it send a message to the pocket books of this horrid food industry . . . we have lot of problems .. but fast food is a good place to start.
sit around and complain or do a small little something & make a big impact. if you want to eat a burger and fries .. eat a REAL burger and fries. . .not whatever fast food is.
Posted by Paulina @ ParticipantMedia on 06/09 at 04:54 PM
Thanks so much for promoting Food, Inc. You may also be interested in the accompanying book, Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. The book goes further in depth into the issues that the movie raises through 13 essays, including ones written by Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan. The book may be purchased through Amazon.com. Thank you for raising awareness about this film!
Posted by Johan on 06/18 at 04:06 AM
I am sure our government is a silent partner in this corruption. I am still very suspect of this activity being under the noses of our government agencies.
Posted by Fat loss 4 idiots on 07/08 at 01:26 PM
It is really a nice post. Thank you for making this movie and exposing the ugly truth about our food system in the United States. It is literally killing us, and no one is the wiser. I can’t wait to see the movie!
Posted by Power 4 Home on 09/16 at 11:50 AM
It’s about time someone did this. The truth needs to be told.
Posted by Laura Cone on 06/02 at 12:43 PM
It is unfortunate to me that greed surpasses the care for children’s and our own health and welfare. It is no suprise to me that people who live more simply and only off what the earth provides has no use for our country.