From Fries to Fennel, How Food, Inc. Is Changing America
Food, Inc., the widely celebrated documentary that continues to expand nationwide as quickly as GMO seeds infect organic crops, is topping the box office in documentary sales. It is more than just a great documentary, though. It is helping to reshape our agricultural and eating landscape nationwide. The thoughtful analysis of our complex industrial food system is introduced to viewers in simple, bite-sized portions that make it simple for viewers to understand the issues. My analysis of the residual effects of Food, Inc. are not scientific and merely based on my informal discussions with people, combined with scouring Twitter and blogs for anecdotes. But there is plenty of evidence that people are leaving theaters and walking out with a determination to make significant changes.
#foodinc has become synonymous on Twitter with posts about sustainable agriculture and they are rampant. Following this phrase on the site brings up numerous postings from enthusiastic fans about new openings of the film and plenty of tweets about sustainable agriculture issues that have nothing to do directly with the film but everything to do with the subject matter. #foodinc now means sustainable, healthy agriculture to tweeters. The media coverage for the film stretches from one end of the spectrum to the other with accolades and condemnations from advocates and foes of industrial agriculture. It has become a default-topic in food discussions (see the recent Time cover story). Huffington Post devoted a special section with interviews of some of its food bloggers about the film.
At the more local level, I've heard lots of stories (and received inquires) from people about how to join a Community Supported Agriculture program, where to find a local farmers market and how to buy grass-fed beef. Upon leaving the theater, Marje Learned, a teacher in the San Mateo, CA, was immediately inspired to act within her own community. She is now working to get hormone-free dairy and milk in her school cafeteria and has committed to only eating grass-fed beef. Bonnie Abaunza, who happens to be my boss, was a lifelong carnivore. When we eat together, she would enjoy a plate of beef while I munched on tempeh and greens as we ridiculed each other's meal preferences. However, Bonnie has defied all odds and shocked even herself by announcing that she will no longer eat beef (so, if you ever happen to meet her, you can make sure she's holding to her public promise). She's not sitting down to a plate of tofu and kale yet, but she's already made a huge step by giving up red meat. Joe Newman, via Twitter, told me that the film " reinforced my decision to stop supporting factory farms with my $$$ ...going veggie and locally grown organic meat." Foodblogga on Twitter told me that they only buy grass-fed beef now.
Katie Wohl of Boston said the film inspired her to switch to free-range meat only. If that's not available, then she's only eating vegetarian. She said that many of her friends have been inspired to start purchasing produce at local farmers markets. Benjamin Packard is forsaking TV dinners and opting for healthier, vegetarian options. Laurie Luh now only buys her eggs at the farmers market. No more $0.99 eggs for her. My dad, who happens to be a doctor, is giving out film postcards to patients and telling them they must see the film. And since my parents live in an apartment, he wasn't able to fulfill his post-film ambition of planting a garden, but he and my mom frequent their neighborhood farmers market a lot more regularly now. My mom said it's time for a food revolution!
Blogger Jill Richardson shared the story of a friend who saw the film and was "passionate, outraged and fired-up" afterwards. She was "finishing the food in her fridge and then changing how she eats entirely." Chris Elam wrote me, "have a 3-year old son, and the little-boy segment was so disturbing and affecting, that my wife and I have agreed he should only eat organic meat going forward."
A website called Rocket Moms has a blog post titled "Take Control Over Your Food" which details a mom's reaction to seeing Food, Inc. Her introduction summed up her reaction: "A girls night out for a movie -- Food, Inc. and dinner changed my outlook on food forever!"
People are also inspired to take action at the policy level. The film's Social Action campaign is devoted to removing soda and junk food from all federally funded nutrition programs. Makes sense, right? Well, about 100,000 other people also agree and are signing our petition to cut the crap out of schools.
Food, Inc. hasn't transformed us in a nation of vegetarian locavores. But, it has spurred discussions at cafes, coffee shops, sushi bars, bistros, bakeries, cafeterias, diners, and, of course, kitchen tables, across the country. The film's greatest legacy is that it encouraging us, as a nation, to examine our decisions. As a result, change is happening at the national, community and personal levels. Be part of this great national discussion by sharing your story here.
Sarah's Social Action Snapshot originally appeared on Takepart.com
Follow Sarah Newman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SarahNow
Robert Kenner: Keep the Food, Inc. Conversation Going (and Win a DVD!)
Industrial food companies don't want us thinking about how our food is produced. They spend billions of dollars maintaining the myth of small family farms with white picket fences and cows on green pastures.
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I have been a vegetarian for five years now, and I personally will never go back to eating meat. However, I applaud those who, while they won't commit to giving up meat, are switching to grass-fed/
Personally, I am a grassitarian because I believe it is the most ethical, sustainable, and healthiest diet on the planet. This diet was designed by nature and tested on 100,000 generations of our ancestors over about 2.5 million years.
The beauty of a grassitarian diet is that it does not require the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides (both derived from fossil fuel); or diesel fuel to run agricultural machinery to plow, cultivate and harvest; or artificial irrigation (fossil fuel powered pumps); or GM seeds.
It is completely independent of farms and all of the agricultural machinery that destroys topsoil and kills millions of ground-living animals. It eliminates the need for any of the products produced by the pesticide, fertilizer, and GM AgriGiants, or the need for feed-lots, egg-breeders, or dairy farms.
It does not use anything made by Deere, Caterpillar, Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, Syngenta, Dean Foods, Heinz, Nestle, Kraft, General Mills, Betty Crocker, Kellogg, Nabisco, Stonyfield, Yoplait, ConAgra, Cargill, etc.
The ecological footprint of this diet is estimated to be much smaller than either a vegan, vegetarian, or Standard American Diet. The grassitarian diet arguably has the lowest profile of natural toxins, and respects the ethical treatment of both animals and plants - something unavailable in any other diet.
A description of the grassitarian diet (an experiment based on nature), along with supporting references, can be found in "The Wellness Project", or "The Original Diet - The Omnivore's Solution".
Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www
Just a comment about Farmer's markets. When you stop at a stall, look at the packing cases. You will find that those people peddling strawberries may have purchased them at Costco, or wholesale from the same people Supermarkets are using.
If someone says they're selling Organic product, make sure they can product a copy of the FDA or other legitimate certification. If not, avoid them and remember their faces.
There's lots of operators at Farmer's markets, people who are there only to make a buck. Just because you purchase produce at a farmer's market doesn't mean it comes from a local, organic grower.
good job sarah. an important post, i have some quibbles here and there...bu
After seeing that movie, I will never eat at any food chain ever again. I've already been eating organic foods and my wife is trying to purchase from farmer markets whenever possible. But, frankly, I was only doing so because of the health benefits. But, until I saw Food inc. I had never realized how deeply the mass production of food had damaged the socio-economic foundation of the entire US and foreign countries like Mexico.
It's horrifying. The final destination of capitalism appears to be a cannibalistic orgy of self destruction. That's the real nightmare. How do we remove ourselves from this self destructive, corporate trench we keep digging ourselves into?
thanks....
I'm so glad the movie has come at a time when people are ready for it.
I've been buying local for the past 5 years, vegetables, meat, eggs. I've known about factory farms for some time having been involved in Animal Welfare issues for 20 yrs. and the large corporate takeover of food production in this country. I have not bought an egg or piece of meat in a big box food chain.
you will never see Tyson, Perdue, Smithfield, Horizon products on my table.
I wish the Producers would make the movie more available to the general public, specifically those in the lower socio-economic strata, these are the folks that really need to see this movie and understand the reasons it has been so detrimental to their health.
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