FOOD, INC. - Why It’s Important To Watch This Movie
Last weekend I watched FOOD, INC. - the movie that takes a critical look at the US food industry. Filmmaker Robert Kenner happened to be at the screening at Hollywood’s Laemmle Theatre on Sunset and answered questions from the audience. And there were many questions. Most people wanted to know, after seeing the movie, what they can do to a) change their eating habits to consuming healthier food and to b) help raise awareness and press for better legislation.
Robert Kenner's documentary FOOD, INC.
Hungry for Change
Let me be frank, the movie is (in parts) not easy on the eye and that’s exactly why it is so powerful. It made me, as a viewer, “hungry for change”! (Note: I shopped at the local farmer’s market last Sunday and will continue to do so from now on.) So what’s the movie about? And what makes it so powerful? Here’s the filmmakers own description from the official movie website:
“In FOOD, INC., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli-the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising-and often shocking truths-about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.”
10 Things You and I Can Do
Robert Kenner could answer all of the questions the audience at the Laemmle Theatre were asking that night. Of course, the road to a healthier food system won’t be an easy travel, but what Kenner pointed out is that contrary to common belief - we, as consumers, have the power to change the system. If we demand healthier, better food on our dining table, the industry must deliver. “We do make the choice 3 times a day”, Kenner said at the Los Angeles screening. “We choose what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” And in order to make it easier for you and me to help change our food system, Kenner’s team came up with a fantastic website that includes many practical tips on how we can all participate on our journey to healthier food. In addition, healthy food mavericks can join TakePart, a movement that has started around the movie which is aiming at educating people about healthier food choices. And if you really want it broken down to 10 easy tips on how you can get involved, Kenner has those on the happy healthy menu as well.
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