Tonopah Rob's Vegetable Farm

This past Sunday a few friends joined me to go see the movie Food Inc. at the Camelview theater in Scottsdale. Although my blog is not a movie review site, it is such a rare occasion that a film comes out that deals with farming, and so in this instance I thought I might share my thoughts.

First, after watching this I am certain my little farmers market here on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona will see more visitors than in previous years. Matter of fact I am already hearing about some other farmers who have seen a dramatic uptick in their business. Of course, Food Inc. is not the first documentary to deal with our food supply but it is one of the few that has been shown in theaters. Fortunately movie theater chains across America have allowed this film to play at the multiplex, probably due to the fact that the producers and the director of the film decided against taking a heavy handed approach to showing the American public how their food supply works.

It would have been easy to bludgeon elements of the corporate food industry with isolated video instances of poor practices as others have done and surely those films have merit in that they bring gross infractions to the public knowledge and ultimately help push positive change to some small degree. I can guess that only the hardcore food and animal rights activists are likely to respond or even be able to view the intolerable cruelty that at times exists amongst a portion of our food suppliers. Food Inc. took a far more subtle approach and while I might wish for all of us to become more fully aware of how in some respects our relationship to food has fallen apart, this was at least a good start.

Typically the general public has no idea from where their food comes from, how it’s prepared, what real nutritional value it has, and what compromises are made for their convenience. Food Inc. begins the process following on the important works of Michael Pollen (Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) both of whom feature prominently in the movie. Like Fast Food Nation the film looks at our national obsession, drive-through convenience, and introduces the industry titans responsible for this development. As the movie progresses you become aware how this fast food mentality has entered every aspect of our lives including how food is offered to us in our grocery stores. Following on Mr. Pollen’s work the film demonstrates visually how corn has infiltrated a majority of our processed foods, most commonly through the addition of high fructose corn syrup. Also from the Omnivore’s Dilemma the film takes a brief look at the treatment of animals in the industrial chain.

The movie then looks at the health implications of a system where e. coli poisoning increasingly becomes a problem all of us are vulnerable to, even vegetarians. For me the film doesn’t spend enough time on the subject regarding the broader and lesser known potential dangers regarding genetically modified seed, food, and organisms. Most of us have never heard of the FlavSavr tomato that was approved for human consumption, although scientists had learned mice developed stomach lesions after eating these GMO tomatoes (seven of forty mice died within two weeks of eating them). These experimental tomatoes were later pulled from the marketplace with the explanation that they were too difficult to transport. Big agribusiness came up with rBGH, also known as rBST, and now known as Posilac: this bovine growth hormone supplement given to dairy cows increases milk production and is insisted upon by many “industry” people as being perfectly safe, but why then would a giant like Walmart cave to public opinion and stop selling milk with this additive? Food Inc. touches on this particular subject but dances around it a little too softly for my liking. Of course one reason the film makers might have been forced to take this approach is due to the fact we now have food slander laws that have made it illegal to talk negatively about food as Food Inc. does point out in another segment.

With the picture painted so far portrayed as a bleak landscape, Food Inc. takes a turn and offers the alternative, Polyface Farms run by farmer. Joel Salatin. Joel is the embodiment of balance, in line with the environment, and aware of the needs of his animals and all of the other life that creates the ecosystem of his farm. And while I most identify with this farmer living harmoniously on his land I cannot disregard that supplying 6 billion people on earth with nutritious and affordable food requires industrialized systems of food production. The reality of producing more than 6 billion pounds of food per day are staggering.

I feel lucky to be in a situation where I can grow all-natural pesticide and chemical free produce for those folks who appreciate shopping with me. And I count on those very people to understand the relationship that my veggies cost more than the offerings available from a large corporate operated grocery store. But I also must be aware that the methods I employ would surely make food unaffordable for a wide swath of society. Surely we must find a new path away from the blind consumerism where the only relationship to food is through the colorful, well designed, cleverly named foods that deceive the shopper into thinking they are buying direct from a farm while in reality this processed food does not have all the natural goodness of an apple picked right from the tree.

My wish after watching Food Inc. would be that we do not turn in anger against large corporate farms but that we engage at the community level and encourage our local growers, producers, manufacturers, sellers, and fellow shoppers to consider what we are eating, where it came from, what had to suffer for our consumption, whether it be the environment, animals, or our very health. We can change from our current fast food convenience dilemma to a slower food alternative that benefits all of us, one consumer at a time. You can help make that change by visiting and shopping with people like myself and others such as Tim Wilson of The Meat Shop who sells all-natural pork, or the folks over at Arizona Buffalo Company selling all-natural bison. Here in the Valley of the Sun you’ll also find Celia over at Fresh from the Goddess selling locally made goat cheese, Joanne, The Bread Lady bakes some wonderfully delicious breads, and there are a multitude of veggie and fruit growers across Arizona. Putting this all together are new restaurants like the PastaBar in downtown Phoenix who is using many locally grown and produced foods throughout their menu.

The change we want and need is underway, people are ready for it. Food Inc. is another cornerstone to help bring attention to the plight of our stomachs, noses, health, and the very planet we live upon. Go see the movie and then commit to making a sincere effort to do some small part in helping all of us bring good food back to our tables. The DVD of Food Inc. will be released November 3, 2009 and the companion book titled Food Inc. is currently available and from the early reviews it looks to compliment our knowledge of how we can make change in our own consumption in a helpful way without only being a replay of the movie.

If you have seen Food, Inc. and are looking for other films about this subject you may also want to watch the movie Earthlings narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, but be warned: this film is a VERY graphic representation of how animals are often mistreated in our industrial fast paced system. Please consider that I have alerted you that this film is disturbing, even painful to watch. Another film that stands out is a Austrian documentary that offers no dialogue and no music, it is titled Our Daily Bread. This Austrian production is hardly controversial and offers an almost hypnotic look at a very regulated, orderly, and above all, clean environment where obviously trained people are working to produce food for Europeans – funny how we never hear about e coli breakouts in Europe. Click the links to view the video.