2009-06-08
Food Inc.
Found this video courtesy of Dark Parables
This is a movie I am interested in seeing. Having a father in agribusiness, I am well aware of the corporate farm. My father still to this day laughs at me when he sees my organic veggies in my fridge, because he knows in most cases what we think of as organic doesn't really exist. There isn't really much difference if you are buying your veggies and meat from a big chain market. If you want true organic you really have to support local farmer's markets, and many times these are out of reach and convenience for most people, and limits your choices to what is in season vs. what you are in the mood for at the time. I am not supposed to be able to get strawberries all year round, but I do. Not to mention you would be hard pressed to find a successful independent farmer, these folks just don't exist anymore. Farmers were bought out by corporations decades ago. The small guy couldn't compete with the big companies on price and output.
One criticism of the animal rights movement of grocery stores and the corporate farms is the way in which animals are treated, even with regulations in place, it doesn't seem to be very humane. I am inclined to agree. I think everyone who eats meat should see how animals are processed. It isn't pretty. Some people it won't bother, for instance my father who knows how his burger gets to his plate, but for people like me, it makes me cringe. Even though I still cook for my carnivore husband, it does bother me, and I will admit if I don't see the "animal parts" when I purchase meat, it doesn't seem all that gross.
As we know there is an obesity epidemic in America, and some of the biggest culprits of this are convenience food and the lack of access and cost effectiveness of fresh, whole foods. I often wonder if the food companies are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies who are then in bed with health insurance companies. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but I do think about it.
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15 comments:
I saw an interview with the director of Food Inc on PBS the other day which made me want to see the movie more. Did anyone see Death on a Factory Farm on HBO? The way the pigs were treated and how they had to live makes me want to hurl. I will never eat pork again!!!
I don't think I could live without Whole Foods, Siditty. I usually go there or to Fresh Market since the veggies at a regular grocery store usually aren't very fresh.
I think there's some truth to the belief that healthy = expensive and unhealthy = cheap. But I think it's worth fishing out that extra dollar especially for the produce. Since I've been adding more of it to my diet - I've been doing it bit by bit since I know I'd fall off immediately if I tried a full-blown veggie diet - I feel better physically and don't feel so sluggish. Just achieving THAT is worth the 120 bucks a week.
Your post reminds me of Bill Maher's awesome anti-pharmaceutical rant from a while back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdHg6_pDbSI
I used to go to Whole Foods, but they are ridiculously expensive. I've considered growing my own food, but we have too many possums, deer and wild hares out here and they would eat everything. The vegetarian life appeals to me a great deal. Most of the vegetarians I know hardly ever get sick.
Jai,
I wanted to see the Death on A Factory Farm, but I don't have HBO, I wonder if I can rent it on Netflix?
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Mimi,
What scares me most, is the likely hood of those veggies at big markets like Whole Foods, Central Market, Sprouts, etc. are truly as organic as we think they are. Like my father told me organic probably still has traces of pesticides on it and has probably still been radiated like most fruits and veggies. It is almost like you have to go to the farmer's market and buy directly from the farmer to avoid radiated fruits and veggies.
One comforting thing is for the most part there is tough regulation now on what pesticides and herbicides that can be used on our food, but short of growing your own food there isn't much hope for us to obtain quality pesticide free, radiated free food.
The vegetarian lifestyle is a double edge sword. I know some "plus sized" vegetarians and the biggest issue is the ease of vegetarian convenience foods. You can get ch'kn nuggets, ribs, and everything else under the sun vegetarian, but the problem is this is processed foods. I think that is a problem both vegetarians and meat eaters have. I of course am a big fan of the vegetarian life, but it can sometimes suck, like when you go to a steak house for dinner and even the salad has bacon bits on it.
This film reminds me of a narrative film I watched recently...I forgot the name...I think it's called Fast Food. Basically it showed you the darkside of a big McDonalds type of corporation. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. To eat healthily, you need your own land to grow your own food to know what's really in it.
The biggest threat Americans seem to ignore are the excitotoxins in our food. Aspartame is banned in many countries. But with the help of Rumsfeld, we've made it too profitable, so it won't disappear anytime soon...even as it continues to eat away at the braincells as most peeps drink their diet sodas & chew sugar-free gums.
The vegetarian lifestyle is a double edge sword. I know some "plus sized" vegetarians and the biggest issue is the ease of vegetarian convenience foods.
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Ha, ha, I know plus-sized vegetarians too. What's the point?
I definitely believe our entire food system in the USA is set up to make us unhealthy. People who have moved here from other continents tell me none of our fruits/veggies are fresh and they usually gain 15 lbs within 6 months of living here.
I don't know if it is an outright conspiracy or just a negative cycle of crappy food, bad health, more pharmaceuticals more diet industry.
Also, our car culture is a big reason we are over weight. Many cities are not set up for walking and it is even worse in the suburbs.
thelady said:
I definitely believe our entire food system in the USA is set up to make us unhealthy. People who have moved here from other continents tell me none of our fruits/veggies are fresh and they usually gain 15 lbs within 6 months of living here.
I don't know if it is an outright conspiracy or just a negative cycle of crappy food, bad health, more pharmaceuticals more diet industry.
Also, our car culture is a big reason we are over weight. Many cities are not set up for walking and it is even worse in the suburbs.
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co-sign. I do think that this was set up for us Americans to be unhealthy. It makes no sense that the unhealthy food is more expensive than healthy food.
I want to see this documentary. it looks terribly interesting. One thing I have yet to get sued to in America is the fact that there is so much meat on the chicken but absolutely no flavor1 The bones are gone! I don't even eat chicken anymore, and I'm starting to be hesitant about red meat.I'm not used to not knowing where my meat comes from. i tried buying meat form Whole foods but they were very expensive and I'm pretty darn broke these days. I wish there was an alternative. It seems common sense to me that I shouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg just to get every day healthy food. But it is the way it is and unless we change it someday those of us living in this society who can't afford to go to Whole Foods every week are screwed.
Siddity, I don't know if it's on DVD but check out this link I found on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/DeathonaFactoryFarm
I definitely agree that it seems to be set up for us to be overweight. I noticed a sharp contrast between Europe and here. In France and England, they have sidewalks for people to walk, run or ride bikes. Where I live, I have to get in my car and drive to a trail. Everyone has to have a car out here, because buses or trains don't even come this far. But, there is a Wendy's, McDonalds, or Burger King on every corner. I'd heard about how chickens are treated by KFC and I was appalled. I never wanted to eat there again. Why would I want to eat tortured food?? But, then again, I have a weakness for Bison. It's low in fat and tastes so much better than beef, which I avoid and pork. I want to promote good eating habits with my sons, but they are becoming influenced by other children. So, of course, they want the junk food. They are active in sports,s o I don't worry about them being overweight. Still, I don't want them thinking that a chicken nugget is "natural".
Uh, I do think that way also...seriously, there wouldn't be one without the other! And yes, don't get me started on the foreigners who come here and gain weight after a short amount of time. A Japanese friend of mine was here for less than a year and said he has a tire around his waist. He's 28 and although he looks fit to me, I saw an old picture, and the man was thin as a reed. I almost wanted to apologize...lol
I really want to see this movie, too, and I would NOT at all be surprised if there's collusion between those industries. I think people know this and still eat the junk because it seems cheaper in the short term -- who doesn't think Splenda is toxic, right? It'll come out in the open, much like tobacco company secrets have.
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