In the movie Food Inc, there were many very powerful images that were shown about the food industry. One segment in the film that stood out to me specifically was when the farmer was interviewed about how he still practices the traditional methods of farming even though he is only one in thousands who still does. He talked about how he still lets his animals still eat grass instead of grain. He also showed the methods of how he slaughtered the animals in an outdoor environment, which is not practiced by the larger slaughter houses. He stated that his meat was many times cleaner than the factory produced counterparts. He said that he will keep practicing his traditional methods which , he admitted, could not keep up with a exponential demand as the other factories have to supply to. This interview was very positive and shows that the older methods can still prosper, just not on the same gigantic scale as the assembly line meat processing plants function on.
In the book Gary Hirshberg speaks about the creation of the New Alchemy Institute. This institute decided to boycott the use fossil fuels, herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers for the production of food(p49).This group used solar heated green house which had tanks of fish that were used for food and their waste was used as natural fertilizer. Wind systems were also used to provide mechanical and electrical power. This is just another example of how people can live and function successfully by utilizing the advancement of alternative energy to harness the natural resources that we sometimes take for granted. Just like the farmer that processed his meat using the traditional methods, this New Alchemy Institute proves that we can use more natural methods of living and producing food. The reduction of heath issues by eating this organic food was discussed in both the book and the movie, eating good food leads to feeling good.
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the traditional farmer also stood out to me. I liked how passionate he was about what he does. He has good morals and likes the way he is doing things. I was shocked when the USDA tried to shut him down. But when he proved his chicken was cleaner after zero chlorine baths, he knew he was in the right. I wish more people would stand by what the believe in and not give in to outside pressures
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the interview with the farmer was an extremely important segment of the film. Often I think that we take for granted the fact that just because this is the way things are, it's not how they have to be. Within the context of that specific interview, it was a shining light to show how things could become more effective and better off for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that "eating good food leads to feeling good" because the converse is true, seeing as I just had some Wendy's and my soul, not to mention my body, is crying out in agony. Good post!
This was a good positive spin to the book and movie. The majority of the information we receive is negative but the points you brought up are the few positive aspects of the food industry. I like to think that these ideas and ways of processing food gives me hope that one day all the food processing will be done the correct way and in the end will help prevent a lot of people from becoming sick.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you mentioned a greener form of living. It is one of the few things that individuals can do to have an impact on our environment. Blending in with our surroundings and learning to live "with" instead of just "in" an environment may be key to a sustainable future.
ReplyDeleteYes, that part in the movie about the farmer also stuck out to me. Especially, when he talked about how the government tried to shut him down by saying since he was doing certain food processes in the open he was putting people at higher risk for illnesses. When in fact the open-air he worked in was cleaner than the standards.
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