Food Inc. Full of...???

[decides2dream]

well, the husband and i sat down to watch this doc last night....very good! a lot of it i already knew about as i read a lot on this topic, but there was still some fresh information in it. funny too, b/c i am always telling hubby stuff i read and yet...didn't really hit home until he watched this last night. it is amazing how our food production seemingly is in the hands of just a handful of corporations and that is a tragedy for both farmers and consumers alike. idk really how much we can change that, which is even scarier...


oh and after seeing it i can definitively say it is entirely focused on the USA food system. i would've seen this doc eventually, but thanks pj for getting it in my hands sooner.

[haffajappa]

well, the husband and i sat down to watch this doc last night....very good! a lot of it i already knew about as i read a lot on this topic, but there was still some fresh information in it. funny too, b/c i am always telling hubby stuff i read and yet...didn't really hit home until he watched this last night. it is amazing how our food production seemingly is in the hands of just a handful of corporations and that is a tragedy for both farmers and consumers alike. idk really how much we can change that, which is even scarier...


oh and after seeing it i can definitively say it is entirely focused on the USA food system. i would've seen this doc eventually, but thanks pj for getting it in my hands sooner.

so is it full of untruths then?

[chiquimonkey]

i can't believe the band handed this shit out to people.

[decides2dream]

well, the husband and i sat down to watch this doc last night....very good! a lot of it i already knew about as i read a lot on this topic, but there was still some fresh information in it. funny too, b/c i am always telling hubby stuff i read and yet...didn't really hit home until he watched this last night. it is amazing how our food production seemingly is in the hands of just a handful of corporations and that is a tragedy for both farmers and consumers alike. idk really how much we can change that, which is even scarier...


oh and after seeing it i can definitively say it is entirely focused on the USA food system. i would've seen this doc eventually, but thanks pj for getting it in my hands sooner.

so is it full of untruths then?

obviously i am no expert, but from all my readings.....no.
are there some? perhaps.
however, overall...i thought it was pretty accurate to what i've heard/known before.
also, it seems to me that 90% of the discussion in THIS thread does not even actually pertain to the documentary. if one knew NOTHING about the topic it may be shocking, but anyone who reads at ALL about health, nutrition and/or animal rights, factory farming.....really, the most surprising thing imo is the corporate control of our food supply, how farmers are very much dictated to if they are involved with these few corporations, etc. i really didn't think it painted farmers in a bad light at all. if anything, it made me feel a lot of sympathy for them. talk about being between a rock and a hard place! idk why one would even want to be a farmer today. seems a rough livelihood with not much payoff. as so many things, corporate interests seem to override all.

[Jeanwah]

This doc. looks just like The Future of Food, which was very good, but I'm not going to watch Food, Inc. if it's basically the same info. Is it? Anyone? D2D?

[embrace]

In PRAISE of FOOD INC!

So great that there is mass media production of the goings on in the food industry. Hopefully, this film will instigate some thought, conversation and change on what we put into our bodies. I have a strong belief that food is a connection to the earth and the world around you and the community aspect of culitivating your own food and preparing and sharing with your neighbors is very important to me. It needs to be out there that food wasn't meant to be manipulated for mass consumption. My life changed when I started consuming "whole" food and my community grew (in my own eyes) as I've started to meet the growers, farmers who raise the food I eat. It seems a more rich and full life now with some very basic changes.

Barbara Kingsolver has a wonderful book out - "animal, vegetable, miracle" and it took that book to open my eyes to the manipulation of the seed industry and thank goodness there are still purists who exist- (Seed Savers Exchange, Native Seeds, Heritage Farmers).

[decides2dream]

This doc. looks just like The Future of Food, which was very good, but I'm not going to watch Food, Inc. if it's basically the same info. Is it? Anyone? D2D?

i can't say as i've not seen the future of food. so no help there.


embrace - nice post!
i've seen that book and have considered picking it up a few times...perhaps i finally will!
way back when, when i was veggie....i read soooo many books on food, animal rights, factory farming, etc, etc. while i have not maintained that lifestyle, i do try to always find that ever elusive 'balance'...

(btw - sad i did not see you in philly!)

[GlttrGrrl]

It's only "full" of "untruths" if you believe the film actually said these things:
(or if you believe your response is entirely accurate)

just a few:
...
Most farms are corporate farms. Untrue: 98% of farms in the US are owned by individuals.
...
E Coli only exists because cattle eat corn. Untrue: E Coli exists in the digestive tract of all animals, whether grazing on pasture or fed grain.

Organic crops are better for you and the environment. Untrue: Farmers still have to spray these with "natural" pesticides that include things like copper and sulfur, but since they are less effective they have to use higher amounts which is worse for the environment and for you. People have DIED from this, no one has ever died because of "normal" pesticides used (like RoundUp).

Antibiotics aren't necessary for production of meat. Untrue: (if you can't afford $20 / lb for ground beef and $100 for a steak) Maintenance doses allow farmers to not use "therapeutic" doses when the animal gets sick. Therapeutic doses are dangerous to the person eating the animal. Maintenance doses are not.
...

1-The film doesn't say most American farmers are corporate. It recognizes that family farmers *have to* sell to large corporations regardless of whether the farms are "owned" by corporations.

2-The film did not say that "E Coli only exists because cattle eat corn," but it did say that e coli in their systems is vastly reduced when they switched to a grass diet for just a few days. This leaves even the possibility of feeding them corn to grown them, and then just switching them to grass for the last week of their lives before they are slaughtered so that less and less of things like this happen: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/03/be ... ll.e.coli/

3-Whether "Organic crops are better for you and the environment" simply depends on how you define "Better." So it is simply unfair to say that it's "untrue." Organic crops may not be more nutritious, but whether they are "better" depends on what you mean by "better." That is all.

4-It is also unfair to say that it is "untrue" that "Antibiotics aren't necessary for production of meat." Assuming the film says that, (and I do not think it says anything against using antibiotics when an animal is sick), antibiotics simply are not necessary for the production of meat. Whether they're "necessary" for a large profitable farming business or for something else is another question. Also, it depends on what you mean by "necessary."

Frankly, I think Food, Inc. is an excellent film. A lot more balanced than Earthlings, which just makes you feel horrible and doesn't offer a whole lot of solutions.

[vedderman71]

decidestodream, as a third generation farmer, i greatly appreciate the empathy towards the American farmer.
Pres. Kenedy supposedly (I wasn't alive nor have I seen a transcript) gave speech once stating that the U.S. farmer is the only businessman that has no say in the price we pay for our inputs (i.e. Monsanto), and we have the prices paid for our goods dictated to us (ADM & Cargill).
Don't get me wrong, we have a little wiggle room for our fretilizers and seed, maybe 5-7%. And our fixed costs drive us to be Very mindful of the Chicago Board of Trade in pricing our grain. Large fertilizer companies nearly doubled their prices of fertilizers b/c of World demand this past growing season. Many farmers have tried to "wait out" the market in hopes the high cost of fertilizers goes back down.
Basically my point I'm getting to is that our high costs of doing business drives the industry towards larger operations so they can take advantage of economies of scale - both for farmers and the indusrties we do business. We farm 1,000 acres and we are one of the smaller operations in our end of our county. We are also 3rd generation Pioneer seed dealers, most of our key customers farm 2,500, 3,400, a couple at 5,000 and one at 6,000 acres. Now, if you were to meet these fine folks, they are Very nice common people. Many Are LLC corps., but only b/c they Are actually "family farms" thad had to form a corp. for tax purposes as the operation changed hands through the generations. Ad to this trend is the average age of the US farmer is very old. So as farmers retire, some of these larger farm operations end up renting the retired farmer's land.
And no, I'm not complaing. Farming is a Life Style choice as much as anything. It Is very rewarding to look at the end of the day and see the work you've done and know that ultimately you are helping to feed many.

[embrace]

This doc. looks just like The Future of Food, which was very good, but I'm not going to watch Food, Inc. if it's basically the same info. Is it? Anyone? D2D?

i can't say as i've not seen the future of food. so no help there.


embrace - nice post!
i've seen that book and have considered picking it up a few times...perhaps i finally will!
way back when, when i was veggie....i read soooo many books on food, animal rights, factory farming, etc, etc. while i have not maintained that lifestyle, i do try to always find that ever elusive 'balance'...

(btw - sad i did not see you in philly!)

Hiya Missed seeing you as well - hopefully Spring!!! and we can share a bottle of red

If you are a reader you should def check it out- she weaves a personal quest (to eat everything local for 1 year) with a lot of fact about the corporate food system. It has a lot of the same truths that are relayed in Food Inc.

One of the most jaw-dropping stories involves a lawsuit in Canada where a large producer of commercial corn ends up suing small farmers on nearby farms because they are growing the genetically altered varietal (more "hardy" in their eyes) for which they own the rights...corn is pollinated in the air so its not that these farmers sought out the corn but that it ended up on their land due to proximity...It's the eye-opening, get it out to the masses which is so right on for me- Freedom of Speech and Thought and educate yourself at least some of these nasty "hidden truths" are seeing some sunlight.

[Jeanwah]

One of the most jaw-dropping stories involves a lawsuit in Canada where a large producer of commercial corn ends up suing small farmers on nearby farms because they are growing the genetically altered varietal (more "hardy" in their eyes) for which they own the rights...corn is pollinated in the air so its not that these farmers sought out the corn but that it ended up on their land due to proximity...It's the eye-opening, get it out to the masses which is so right on for me- Freedom of Speech and Thought and educate yourself at least some of these nasty "hidden truths" are seeing some sunlight.

This was covered in The Future of Food. Which is why I'm wondering if Food, etc. is just a repetition somewhat from that documentary.

[haffajappa]

One of the most jaw-dropping stories involves a lawsuit in Canada where a large producer of commercial corn ends up suing small farmers on nearby farms because they are growing the genetically altered varietal (more "hardy" in their eyes) for which they own the rights...corn is pollinated in the air so its not that these farmers sought out the corn but that it ended up on their land due to proximity...It's the eye-opening, get it out to the masses which is so right on for me- Freedom of Speech and Thought and educate yourself at least some of these nasty "hidden truths" are seeing some sunlight.

This was covered in The Future of Food. Which is why I'm wondering if Food, etc. is just a repetition somewhat from that documentary.

I also heard about that case through a student presentation in one of my lectures last semester.
Absolutely insane. I think they won too didn't they?

[embrace]

One of the most jaw-dropping stories involves a lawsuit in Canada where a large producer of commercial corn ends up suing small farmers on nearby farms because they are growing the genetically altered varietal (more "hardy" in their eyes) for which they own the rights...corn is pollinated in the air so its not that these farmers sought out the corn but that it ended up on their land due to proximity...It's the eye-opening, get it out to the masses which is so right on for me- Freedom of Speech and Thought and educate yourself at least some of these nasty "hidden truths" are seeing some sunlight.

This was covered in The Future of Food. Which is why I'm wondering if Food, etc. is just a repetition somewhat from that documentary.

Right- She uses some of the same facts as fact basis for her story. I think though that part of the aim is to get the "big" stuff out there in every media form possible (ie- some ppl just don't read) and the lawsuit was a massive shocker hurting the small farmer for doing what?! I'm not familiar with future of food but I would bet that there are similarities in all of them as the root of the issue seems common. In the book (Animal Veg Miracle) the author also covers CAFO and the chicken plight. AVM is the author's personal experience of growing her own food, buying local and allows the reader to see how change could be made on a personal level if desired.

[haffajappa]

well, the husband and i sat down to watch this doc last night....very good! a lot of it i already knew about as i read a lot on this topic, but there was still some fresh information in it. funny too, b/c i am always telling hubby stuff i read and yet...didn't really hit home until he watched this last night. it is amazing how our food production seemingly is in the hands of just a handful of corporations and that is a tragedy for both farmers and consumers alike. idk really how much we can change that, which is even scarier...


oh and after seeing it i can definitively say it is entirely focused on the USA food system. i would've seen this doc eventually, but thanks pj for getting it in my hands sooner.

so is it full of untruths then?

obviously i am no expert, but from all my readings.....no.
are there some? perhaps.
however, overall...i thought it was pretty accurate to what i've heard/known before.
also, it seems to me that 90% of the discussion in THIS thread does not even actually pertain to the documentary. if one knew NOTHING about the topic it may be shocking, but anyone who reads at ALL about health, nutrition and/or animal rights, factory farming.....really, the most surprising thing imo is the corporate control of our food supply, how farmers are very much dictated to if they are involved with these few corporations, etc. i really didn't think it painted farmers in a bad light at all. if anything, it made me feel a lot of sympathy for them. talk about being between a rock and a hard place! idk why one would even want to be a farmer today. seems a rough livelihood with not much payoff. as so many things, corporate interests seem to override all.

Thanks D2D
Well rounded analysis... I'm unsure why sustainability-minded and family run farmers in this thread have taken such offense to what the documentary seems to be talking about. From the get-go I'm unsure if anyone was even criticizing them, especially if they are on the receiving end of large corporation's negative impacts.

I think it has to be stressed that you need to look beyond the borders of your own farm or your own country to realise what is happening. I know a lot of peasant farms get bought out in Latin America, with large corporations obtaining more and more land and lowering the prices for crops so local farmers cannot compete.

I'm no farmer so you might criticize me for not "knowing" anything, but my boyfriend is Guatemalan and this is exactly what happened to the land and coffee farm his parents owned in Guatemala.

[embrace]

One of the most jaw-dropping stories involves a lawsuit in Canada where a large producer of commercial corn ends up suing small farmers on nearby farms because they are growing the genetically altered varietal (more "hardy" in their eyes) for which they own the rights...corn is pollinated in the air so its not that these farmers sought out the corn but that it ended up on their land due to proximity...It's the eye-opening, get it out to the masses which is so right on for me- Freedom of Speech and Thought and educate yourself at least some of these nasty "hidden truths" are seeing some sunlight.

This was covered in The Future of Food. Which is why I'm wondering if Food, etc. is just a repetition somewhat from that documentary.

I also heard about that case through a student presentation in one of my lectures last semester.
Absolutely insane. I think they won too didn't they?

unfortuantely- yes-
"Monsanto also sued a Canadian farmer for using genetically engineered seeds. The farmer protested that the seeds had pollinated his land, and that it was not his fault. He lost. The court ruled that Monsanto's seeds are Monsanto's seeds, and that if you benefit from them, you should pay. [22] Monsanto has filed 138 intellectual property lawsuits over the past 10 years, and won all 9 cases that went to trial. [23] One reason that lawsuits are not more common is that Monsanto inserts something called a "terminator gene" into its crops to prevent them from cross pollinating. This also minimizes the risk of sustainable IP theft from developing countries that might ignore Monsanto's patents"
edit- thought Monsanto "won" Schmeiser didn't have to pay so it was considered a draw.

internet source - http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Monsanto_Company_(MON) - this link slays me because you can see the monster corporate giant that is Monsanto- they control the seeds and amazingly these seeds are resistant to most forms of disease- except those that can be treated with roundup (because they have to keep the sales up on that too ;0 )