Food, Inc. - 3 1/2 smiles

According to “Food, Inc.,” a must-see documentary in limited release, “There is this deliberate veil, this curtain that’s drawn between us and where our food is coming from. The industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what you’re eating because if you knew, you might not want to eat it.” Producer/director Robert Kenner and investigative authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) reveal some ugly truths about the U.S. food industry, an industry that frequently put profits ahead of consumer health and the safety of workers. A handful of corporations control our nation’s food supply where food is actually raised on massive ‘factory farms’ and processed in mega industrial plants. Cattle are fed corn, a food that their bodies are not biologically designed to digest, resulting in new strains of E. coli, which sickens roughly 73,000 Americans annually. And the high use of corn in processed foods has resulted in epidemic levels of diabetes among adults and obesity in children. And the film explains why the USDA and FDA have become powerless.

“Food, Inc.” also introduces us to courageous people who are trying to make a difference: Stonyfield Farm’s Gary Hirshberg and Ployface Farm’s Joel Salatin, who are finding ways to improve the quality of our food; chicken farmer Carole Morison, seed cleaner Moe Parr, and food safety advocate Barbara Kowalcyk, who have chosen to speak out and face the corporations that control the food industry. The once simple process of growing crops and raising livestock has become increasingly complicated and compromised. You might not want to eat after seeing this film, but you’ll be more informed. And, you know, every time you buy something from the market, you’re casting a vote. These large corporations look at the bottom line. 9/22/09

Did you know? (from "Food, Inc. Fact Sheet)

• In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9, 164.
• In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164.
• In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.
• The modern supermarket now has, on average, 47,000 products, the majority of which is being produced by only a handful of food companies.
• Corn products include: ketchup, cheese, Twinkies, batteries, peanut butter, Cheez-Its, salad dressings, Coke, jelly, Sweet & Low, syrup, juice, Kool-Aid, charcoal, diapers, Motrin, meat and fast food.
• 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes; among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2.
• Organics is the fastest growing food segment, increasing 20% annually.

To sign the Child Nutrituion Reauthorization act petition, go to http://www.foodincmovie.com/sign-the-petition.php?token=8f8778ba229c933b36c0caca76a0356b&instance_ID=1218#i1218