Review: "Food, Inc"

A few nights ago, I watched Food, Inc, a 2008 documentary about America's food industry, following the path of food: from farmers to the grocery store. It explores meat production and farming and how it's been largely industrialized, creating an unsustainable system, both environmentally and economically. There were lots of interesting points made in this documentary (did you know that cattle flatulence is causing global warming??). I won't give away any more spoilers, you'll just have to watch the movie (it's currently a "Watch Instantly" movie on Netflix).

I liked how it ended on a positive note. Ordinary people can change the system, not just the big corporations. When you're at the grocery store, buy local produce. Look for things organic foods. Every time we buy, we "vote" for those items. So the store will keep supplying the good stuff if we are buying it. 

Or better yet, shop the farmers market. Then you are giving money straight to the growers. Did you know that (at least here in LA) you can use food stamps at farmers markets? Not to mention the markets here are open ALL YEAR ROUND! In Pasadena there are markets on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings. And it's rare when you can't find exactly what you need because food is always in season here. Plus there are booths for honey, eggs, beef and chicken, breads, jerkey, jams, cider, even sweets. There's no reason to be buying junk and processed foods (though you might need some Ranch to go with all your new veggies) when you can get it fresher for cheap (or comparable to the store). Plus it's a fun place to take the kids and enjoy all the free samples.

Watch the movie and get inspired. And stop buying junk!