No really, do you?
This weekend I headed out with some friends to see Food, Inc.. I knew what I was getting myself into, but at the same time I had no idea what aspects of the food industry they would be showing. And a lot was covered in a short amount of time. Too short, in my opinion. So much more could be said about each of the topics they discussed. If you’re already into Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan then a lot of it will be familiar to you, but there is still a difference between reading the words and seeing people’s actual lives playing out on the screen in front of you.
After seeing the movie I posted on my Facebook profile that I was depressed. One of my friends said that she wanted to see it, but was scared. She asked me if I regretted seeing it.
I think that is a silly question. Why would I regret learning more about where the food I eat comes from? And especially considering that on the same day I saw it, a Colorado beef company expanded a recall to include nearly 400,000 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
From the USDA site:
E. coli O157:H7 H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.
That’s the same thing that killed the son of woman (now a food safety advocate) featured in Food, Inc. He died from eating a hamburger. Don’t we live in a world where we should be able to trust that the food we buy is safe for us to eat?
If you’re thinking of seeing it (and I think you should), yes, there are some scenes that show animals being mistreated and killed as well as plenty of bloody animal flesh. But there are also scenes of happy animals. One of my favorite moments in the film is when Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms opens up a gate and leads his cattle to a lush green field.
There is real food out there. You don’t have to be eating partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or high fructose corn syrup. Even if you don’t go see the film, seek out your local farmer’s market, or at least one farm, where you can get fresh grown food and some conversation with the farmers who grew it. Visit pick-your-own places and fill your belly with sun-warmed fruit. Check out The Omnivore’s Dilemma from the library. At the very least, replace one of your fast-food meals with something you made yourself. Do your body, and maybe the rest of the world, a favor.
Finally, here’s the trailer:
