Food, Inc. (movie)

[cjb]

Playing this weekend at Shepherdstown Opera House: Food, Inc.

Friday, Saturday and Monday at 5:00 PM and at 6:15 PM on Sunday


"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."

[derricksonb]

....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.

Isn't that kind of the point behind capitalism? To grow your business to a point where you can eliminate competition or grow your brand through acquisition? Aren't these evil corporations also required to list the ingredients and nutritional facts about their products on the packaging? At some point the consumer has to take responsibility for the products they ingest.


We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad

And they are delicious.......


but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually.I'd be interested to see if the film maker can actually prove that the new strains of e.coli would not have formed or evolved in the absence of the evil corporations.


We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.Blame the parents not the farmers or corporations because your 14 y/o weighs 555lbs (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/07/22/cb.obesity.crime.cnn).

[Zig]

LOL

That was a vigorous rebuttal for a notice talking about a movie playing in Shepherdstown!

[cjb]

I don't like sensational media/movie. But I know there is someone out there that this movie would appeal to - so I posted it.

Enjoy.

[derricksonb]

That was a vigorous rebuttal for a notice talking about a movie playing in Shepherdstown!

I aim to please.

And to be honest I'd be interested in seeing the movie with the understanding that I'm going in to the theater questioning the directors intent.

[Jenniffer]

Just a warning that this sort of thing is why my husband's diet now consists solely of carrots and lentils. View at your own risk :P

[KatherineA]

I heard a blurb on NPR radio about the movie - with an interview of the guy who made it. It sounds really interesting.

BTW - The agriculture industry is the most secretive industry in America - remember the Oprah thing when she criticized the beef industry?? There is such a thing as food defamation and she ended up paying hundreds of thousands in legal fees for "defamation of beef."

Have you read the Omminvores Dilemma?

[Jenniffer]

Have you read the Omminvores Dilemma?

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is another good one that touches on things like genetic modification, etc.

[Willis]

Despite DsonB's Vehement Riposte, Thanks
I'd recommend seeing it. If it's at all similar in tone to "Fast Food Nation" and "Super Size Me", then it's worth a looksee. Before the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, "Capitalists" provided all manner of tainted food and questionable potions to the public (read Upton Sinclair's, "The Jungle") to increase the profit margin.

In the modern days of deregulation in the past 3 decades, many of those practices have resumed, primarily by Mega-Agribusiness. One only has to look at the daily news to find a new incident of food or drug adulteration-Home grown or by one of our fav trading partners, Red China.

Admittedly, I haven't seen the film in question, but its reviews have certainly been more positive than negative. No, it won't eliminate the tendency of some parents to force feed their spawn like Geese farmers producing foie gras. But it might prompt some folks to visit the farmers market more often and avoid the McGrocery store
:D

[cjb]

My family is Farmers in central Minnesota. Dairy, Corn, Hogs & some Chickens. Have first hand knowledge of what goes on on the Family Farm and what is going on at the Corporate Farm as that is where some of the kids go to get jobs.

Also a common job is to work in the Processing Industry. The Dairy, Chicken, Turkey, and Pork process' have all been discussed in minute detail at the dinner table. The Family still purchases much of their animal products at the store with this information in hand.

We buy our beef from a local butcher. We buy our dairy from the local creamery. It's just plain good in sooooooo many ways. The taste is wonderful. The buying of local is wonderful. The supporting local feels wonderful.

[Pat_13]

We buy our beef from a local butcher. We buy our dairy from the local creamery. It's just plain good in sooooooo many ways. The taste is wonderful. The buying of local is wonderful. The supporting local feels wonderful.


Sounds good.

Who, where? Do tell or PM me

[Leprechaun]

Makes you wonder about the food processing industry.

There is some data that is beginning to link breat cancer to the hormones injected into cattle that allows them to produce more milk.

I find this practice udderly irresponsible!

[cjb]

Who, where? Do tell or PM me

Dairy: www.southmountaincreamery.com Middletown, MD 301.371.8565 They deliver to this "end" of the mountain but apparently not Shannondale. Standing offer if anyone want's to have theirs delivered here, we will accept it here and you can pick it up - Tuesday's.

Butcher: D & D Meats, Inwood, WV 304.229.5164

[cjb]

from Mother Earth News (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Agriculture/Livestock-Antibiotics-Use-Congress.aspx)

An expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists says the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture — just as in human medicine — is undercutting the efficacy of important human therapies and generating more virulent pathogens.

[Black Dog]

I believe D&D does use locally raised meat but be careful of other butchers out there. Some of them buy their meat from the same places some of the grocery stores do. It's the same grain-fed, juiced up stuff, just cut to your specifications.
Buy local.

[cjb]

They told me they use local beef also, but that does not mean it was raised responsibly.... :D I have not gone so far as to check out the farmer yet. If I want to go there - I will buy from a co-worker that raises a couple of steer each year. Then have D & D butcher it for me.

[Black Dog]

Interesting. I've never bought from them but somebody I bumped into who knew them told me it's all local. Could be wrong.

[cindylu]

from Mother Earth News (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Agriculture/Livestock-Antibiotics-Use-Congress.aspx)

An expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists says the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture — just as in human medicine — is undercutting the efficacy of important human therapies and generating more virulent pathogens.

There were several stories about this on NPR about 2 weeks ago and a couple of dairy farmers were interviewed specifically about the injection of hormones into dairy cows to produce more milk. The farmers said they tried hormones to increase milk production but discovered they had to treat the injected area with antibiotics to deter infection. The cost of the hormones and antibiotics became too expensive and the milk output wasn't enough to defer those costs. We're screwing around with our food sources.

I thought Oprah won that battle??