Two Inspirational Movies Fresh and Food, Inc.
Two documentaries, Fresh and Food, Inc., have recently premiered, addressing the dangers of our industrialized food systems and offering some examples of how changes are being made. Both films remind us of how we can make a difference in reducing the amount of fossil fuels, antibiotics, growth hormones, and unhealthy ingredients go into our food system.
In both films, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, describes some of the worst impacts of our food system from reliance on corn to the loss of diversity in farming. Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm is portrayed as an idyllic diverse farm, but both films also show the struggle that a majority of farmers and ranchers have in escaping the industrialized markets. Gary Hirshberg, the inspirational founder of Stonyfield Farms shows how better-for-you foods can be affordable through selling organic yogurt to Walmart and trying to keep the perfect from being the enemy of the good. These themes are what has inspired the feelgoodfastfood.org blog to continue the conversation started by Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation. It is also what inspired the launch of Amanda’s in Berkeley, CA to offer affordable, approachable, convenient meals that use good quality ingredients and embrace environmental values.
While these topics can be discouraging, especially when most of us face limited time and budgets, there are hopeful suggestions that we can all start to incorporate. We can start to ask questions of our current food suppliers - what do you serve that is organic or local? is your meat naturally-raised without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones? We can start to make incremental choices to eat more local ingredients, less meat, and more fruits and vegetables to change our own health and the health of our world. Please see these films, discuss them with your communities, and join us in helping to change the world one meal at a time.