From where does our food come?
Most people I suspect, think it comes from farms in pastoral settings with men wearing overalls, smoking corn-cob pipes, while driving tractors. Sadly, the majority of the food that most people eat today, comes from huge factory farms, run by gigantic multi-national corporations, and like most corporate-run enterprises, production efficiency, unsafe working conditions, low wages, and little concern for the environment and the consumer, rule the day.
The story of this film is told by a few farmers, both mass-production, and low-production organic, as well as by Michael Pollan (Author: The Omnivore's Dilemma), Eric Schlosser (Author: Fast Food Nation), and the story they tell will shock you.
As a Vegetarian, I have always been a little confused by the people arguing that the meat industry doesn't treat its animals humanely. I am confused because if the animal is only going to be killed, what does it matter? For me there is no humanity in the process regardless of how they treat the animals, and in my mind, there certainly is no humane way to slaughter an animal. But in these inhumane conditions that the animals endure before slaughter, lie many unintended, potentially life-threatening consequences.
I'm sure that most people probably aren't aware that in these mass-production facilities, beef cattle wade through ponds of their own feces, and are often covered in it. Feeding the animals corn, while inexpensive, is not the food that cattle have evolved eating, so this affects their digestion, and allows for Ecoli buildup in the animal's gut. This is how the meat eventually gets tainted with Ecoli, and leads to those horrific stories we hear about where people get sick, and sometimes die, from tainted meat.
The horror story isn't limited only to meat production. Massive pesticide use, genetically modified crops, and manure runoff are some of the issues surrounding produce production as well.
I became a vegetarian for health reasons, and in time, and after reading books written by the above authors, came to know about these facts. This solidified my belief in eating whole, organic foods whenever possible, for the good of me, and the planet.
This film is a good starting place for those people who want to know more about what they are eating and I highly recommend it. The film also did something that I have never before seen done. Often when people have seen a documentary, they leave the theatre asking, "What can I do? How can I help?" Well this film solves that problem for you. Before the credits roll, the filmmakers make several great recommendations of things that you can do to effect change.
For those wanting to know more, please see this film. If you see the film and that isn't enough, I recommend reading the books mentioned above. It could save your life and will certainly benefit mankind and our planet.
The Official Food, Inc. Home Page
Food, Inc. at the Internet Movie Database
Most people I suspect, think it comes from farms in pastoral settings with men wearing overalls, smoking corn-cob pipes, while driving tractors. Sadly, the majority of the food that most people eat today, comes from huge factory farms, run by gigantic multi-national corporations, and like most corporate-run enterprises, production efficiency, unsafe working conditions, low wages, and little concern for the environment and the consumer, rule the day.
The story of this film is told by a few farmers, both mass-production, and low-production organic, as well as by Michael Pollan (Author: The Omnivore's Dilemma), Eric Schlosser (Author: Fast Food Nation), and the story they tell will shock you.
As a Vegetarian, I have always been a little confused by the people arguing that the meat industry doesn't treat its animals humanely. I am confused because if the animal is only going to be killed, what does it matter? For me there is no humanity in the process regardless of how they treat the animals, and in my mind, there certainly is no humane way to slaughter an animal. But in these inhumane conditions that the animals endure before slaughter, lie many unintended, potentially life-threatening consequences.
I'm sure that most people probably aren't aware that in these mass-production facilities, beef cattle wade through ponds of their own feces, and are often covered in it. Feeding the animals corn, while inexpensive, is not the food that cattle have evolved eating, so this affects their digestion, and allows for Ecoli buildup in the animal's gut. This is how the meat eventually gets tainted with Ecoli, and leads to those horrific stories we hear about where people get sick, and sometimes die, from tainted meat.
The horror story isn't limited only to meat production. Massive pesticide use, genetically modified crops, and manure runoff are some of the issues surrounding produce production as well.
I became a vegetarian for health reasons, and in time, and after reading books written by the above authors, came to know about these facts. This solidified my belief in eating whole, organic foods whenever possible, for the good of me, and the planet.
This film is a good starting place for those people who want to know more about what they are eating and I highly recommend it. The film also did something that I have never before seen done. Often when people have seen a documentary, they leave the theatre asking, "What can I do? How can I help?" Well this film solves that problem for you. Before the credits roll, the filmmakers make several great recommendations of things that you can do to effect change.
For those wanting to know more, please see this film. If you see the film and that isn't enough, I recommend reading the books mentioned above. It could save your life and will certainly benefit mankind and our planet.
The Official Food, Inc. Home Page
Food, Inc. at the Internet Movie Database
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