Food, Inc.

A family friend of mine is a big movie buff and I have attended a couple pre-screening events with her that are hosted through the Jewish Film Society. Today we saw a documentary entitled "Food, Inc." by director Robert Keener. The film gives insight to the capitalization and monopolization of the farming and ranching industries, which has changed rapidly in the last 70 years. Basically it gives an insider look on the loss of respect for all parties involved in the food production industry, from the farmers to the animals to the workers. Of course, the large corrporations behind these abuses failed to comment, and I don't blame them. And it is also no suprise that the Bush administration served as a catalyst to all of the injustices.

All of the changes in the food industry were sparked by the fast food movements of the 50's and the advancements in technology only fueled the fire. We see a poor, obese family, who can't affordto buy vegetables because they have to pay for their diabetes meds. They know they are in harms way but when it costs over $1.00 for merely a head of brocoli, why shouldn't they use their $1 to buy a whole hamburger from McDonalds? We also see the farmers who are stuck in a vicious circle of debt that enslaves them to the large corporations and screws them over at the same time. The solutions the movie presents would call for a large nation-wide overhaul of the entire food production system, which would have to start from the top down to really be feasable. But there we can all make small changes as well. One of the people interviewed is the founder of a organic dairy company, who "sold out" to Wal-Mart. But his point is one more organic product in Wal-Mart is more money for the movement. Every item we purchase is recorded and the patterns are noticed by the store owners. Basically, buying certified, organic products is like casting a vote for healthy, fair, respectful food production processes. To find out if a product is truely organic, you can look up any brand name at www.greenerchoices.org.

I highly suggest seeing the movie when it comes out publicly. It really made the importance of organic, fair farming hit home with me. It is not an easy movie to watch, but it is an important movie to watch.