Food Inc.

[JulesMaximus]

I just saw this last night and wow...just wow. It's a real eye opener as to how only a few corporations control nearly all of our food supply and how much power they have over our government not to mention how little they care about supplying us with quality food. It also does an excellent job of pointing out the hidden societal costs of buying these cheap goods.

I was a little hesitant to rent this because ignorance is bliss but I'm glad I did. This movie is a MUST SEE for every American. Honestly, THIS is what's wrong with America.

 

[PricklyPete]

I would suggest you read "omnivore's dilemma".

Also a few other good movies to watch:

Fast Food Nation
King Korn

It is really scary/enlightening to read/watch some of these...nothing to get paranoid about...but definitely makes you think twice about what you are forcing down your gullet.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I've been purposely not watching it for months because I don't feel like being angry without being able to do anything about it.

 

[Slick5150]

It is a little frightening. I try to buy meats, fruits & vegetables from our local farmers market, but it's not always easy (nor is it cheap).

 

[PricklyPete]

The funny thing is my Mom has been preaching the same stuff since the 1970's or something (way before I was born). She was basically a crazy hippie and most of my family ignored her...but I grew up with her feeding us and all 6 of my siblings were VERY healthy growing up. I moved away from eating healthy in college and early 20's and started feeling shitty all the time and couldn't tell why. In the last 5 years my wife and I have moved to much healthier eating (pretty close to the way my mom eats) and I feel 10000% better. As much as my mom is crazy, I'm glad to have had her influence from a food perspective. She's now 70 and looks younger than most 50 year olds. She looked like she was in her early 30's when she turned 50. I fully expect her to live to 100+ barring any calamity.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've been purposely not watching it for months because I don't feel like being angry without being able to do anything about it.

You absolutely can do something about it. Buy less processed foods and go with locally grown fruits and vegetables and naturally raised meats whenever possible.

 

[Homerboy]

You absolutely can do something about it. Buy less processed foods and go with locally grown fruits and vegetables and naturally raised meats whenever possible.

The sad thing with that is it's already EXORBITANTLY expensive to feed even a family of 4. Toss in "healthy" food and it's the damned price of a mortgage every month.

We try to eat healthy when/where we can. But its nearly economically impossible.

 

[waggy]

i mentioned here once about farmland being nearly all owned by big company's and got bitched out heh.

not to mention Monsanto's. ugh

 

[Kirby]

You absolutely can do something about it. Buy less processed foods and go with locally grown fruits and vegetables and naturally raised meats whenever possible.

It'll spoil you though. I grew up eating only corn that my dad's cousin grew (Ambrosia Hybrid), so now I can't eat any canned corn and the majority of store bought corn tastes like shit.

For all you bacon lovers out there, I highly recommend raising and slaughtering a hog or two, if you have the space.

 

[JulesMaximus]

The sad thing with that is it's already EXORBITANTLY expensive to feed even a family of 4. Toss in "healthy" food and it's the damned price of a mortgage every month.

We try to eat healthy when/where we can. But its nearly economically impossible.

That's part of the problem. The cost of a cheese burger from mcdonalds is 99 cents but a pear costs $1.29. What you don't see are the hidden societal costs of moving all that food around (higher demand for oil=higher price of oil and gas to the consumer), the healthcare costs to treat obesity and diabetes which is much much greater today than it was 20-30 years ago, the inhumane treatment of animals, and the diseases prevalent among those animals kept living in their own feces that gets into the food we eat.

 

[waggy]

It'll spoil you though. I grew up eating only corn that my dad's cousin grew (Ambrosia Hybrid), so now I can't eat any canned corn and the majority of store bought corn tastes like shit.

For all you bacon lovers out there, I highly recommend raising and slaughtering a hog or two, if you have the space.

don't even have to go that far.
im lucky in the fact that the butcher i go to gets local beef and hogs. Its fricken great.

 

[PricklyPete]

The sad thing with that is it's already EXORBITANTLY expensive to feed even a family of 4. Toss in "healthy" food and it's the damned price of a mortgage every month.

We try to eat healthy when/where we can. But its nearly economically impossible.

I'm not going to disagree with you that it is more expensive...I'm sure it is, but a few things I've noted as I spend a lot of time at local farmers markets:

1) Often times it is not much more expensive than the local grocery store for vegetables/fruits.
2) We eat way too much food in the USA at each meal. Maybe reducing portions and substituting what we eat for better food is the ideal.

So instead of getting processed cereal's, get a sack of rolled oats and eat oatmeal for breakfast (or several other hot cereals like wheatina, cream of wheat, etc) That is WAY cheaper than any cereal you're going to buy and keeps you VERY full till lunch.

You want a cheap snack...smear some natural peanut butter (smuckers sells this cheap) over some celery or apples from your local farmer's market (these are even cheap in the grocery store).

You want some protein, organic eggs are cheap.

You can make some really fantastic dishes with brown rice and good vegetables steamed/stir fried in olive oil, sea salt, and other spices.

Sweet potatoes are always cheap and are a great, tasty alternative to regular potatoes.

I could go on and on, but you can definitely eat healthy if you put your health in front of your taste buds. Yes, eating really "tasty" organic food like steaks and whatnot is expensive...but you can get buy eating healthy with smaller portions and just being very conscientious of what you buy.

 

[0roo0roo]

I would suggest you read "omnivore's dilemma".

Also a few other good movies to watch:

Fast Food Nation
King Korn

It is really scary/enlightening to read/watch some of these...nothing to get paranoid about...but definitely makes you think twice about what you are forcing down your gullet.

http://www.american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals

 

[ViviTheMage]

a corporation, or a corporation, of a subsidiary, of a corporation. Yes, they're all pretty much run be few companies. It's that way for a lot more then just the food industry.

 

[PricklyPete]

i mentioned here once about farmland being nearly all owned by big company's and got bitched out heh.

not to mention Monsanto's. ugh

Their headquarters is less than 2 miles from where I'm living right now for my current project. I'm not a fan.

 

[waggy]

Their headquarters is less than 2 miles from where I'm living right now for my current project. I'm not a fan.

lol not many farmers i know are fan's of them. but once you are locked in you gotta stay with them.

 

[Kirby]

don't even have to go that far.
im lucky in the fact that the butcher i go to gets local beef and hogs. Its fricken great.

But where's the fun if you don't get to kill and clean them yourself?

We have a Fresh Market and Earth Fare that sell good meat, but I haven't seen a place that sells local meat, much less at a reasonable price.

 

[JulesMaximus]

http://www.american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals

Go watch the movie...then get back to us.

 

[PricklyPete]

http://www.american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals

I wasn't quoting the book as the bible...I was only offering it as a good read. I'm under no delusion that it is 100% correct and should be preached as gospel. You don't get anywhere if you don't read both sides of the story. I'm in no way criticizing farmers, just saying that I am more careful about what I eat after reading/watching various media sources.

Again, I'm also not attacking farmers for using these practices. They are a business just like any other and need to make money. Heck, my father-in-law is your typical farmer and grows copious amounts of soy non-organically. I don't criticize him in any way...and I don't shove these books in his face or really even discuss it in front of him.

That being said, I'm going to vote with my wallet and buy foods that I feel are the healthiest for me and my family (no matter how misguided I may be).

 

[JulesMaximus]

But where's the fun if you don't get to kill and clean them yourself?

We have a Fresh Market and Earth Fare that sell good meat, but I haven't seen a place that sells local meat, much less at a reasonable price.

Yeah, I'm not ready to go there yet. I've been inside slaughter houses and seen how meat is butchered (I don't have a problem with that) but I'm not going to do it myself.

 

[nageov3t]

Go watch the movie...then get back to us.

watched the movie. still think modern farming methods are better than 500 years ago and mandatory to support a growing world.

 

[PricklyPete]

lol not many farmers i know are fan's of them. but once you are locked in you gotta stay with them.

Yes...my father-in-law is a fan of them...uses their soybeans on his farm and thinks there the bees-knees. You really are locked in though...I think they have 98% of the market. I'd actually have less of a problem with them if it didn't seem like a monopoly...they basically have a stranglehold on the market.

 

[Homerboy]

Quite honestly, I would have loved to have been a farmer, and raised my kids that way.

 

[Jzero]

Yes...my father-in-law is a fan of them...uses their soybeans on his farm and thinks there the bees-knees. You really are locked in though...I think they have 98% of the market. I'd actually have less of a problem with them if it didn't seem like a monopoly...they basically have a stranglehold on the market.

That's my problem with them. I don't begrudge anyone building and empire and making millions, but just look at the shit they with milk labelling....it's ridiculous.

 

[Kirby]

Quite honestly, I would have loved to have been a farmer, and raised my kids that way.

It's definitely not an easy life, at least for the non-megafarm types.