“It was revealing,” he
said after viewing it. “It shows how Monsanto’s in
control of the food supply. It shows just how unjust the food
system is. It exposes how trade policy and government subsidies
have driven people off of the land in Mexico.”
He adds, “A better farming and food system is
possible. We can choose to buy from farmers and ranchers in
our communities and regions. We can choose to eat better and
regain our health. I believe Food Inc. will awaken and motivate
us like never before. What we feed grows, what we support
prospers. Your fork is a powerful thing!” CLICK
HERE to read Mike's blog.
A 300-plus page “participant guide” in
soft cover book form, available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon,
and other bookstores, includes an essay by award-winning
documentary filmmaker Rob Kenner describing why and how the
film was made. While the project started out with plans to
represent “the multiple voices and points of view of the
people who bring food to our tables,” it turned out being
about “unchecked corporate power,” Kenner
writes. Kenner, who has a special talent for making films about
social issues through the lens of personal experience, got a cool
reception from many of the farmers and food industry people
he’d hoped to interview, changing the nature of the story
he started out to tell.
He and Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser
collaborated closely on the film. The two were in Colorado
Springs a couple of years ago when Ranch Foods Direct and
other members of the community hosted Schlosser to talk about
his book and the food system in general. Much of the Fast Food
Nation book was based in Colorado and parts of the
fictionalized film version were shot locally.
“Before I began the research process, I was
probably a lot like the average person who will watch Food,
Inc.,” Kenner writes. “And I hope that means that
the facts I learned about our food system — some of
them amazing, some disturbing, and many simply fascinating
— will interest moviegoers as much as they interested
me.”
The Food Inc. companion guide, CLICK
HERE edited by Karl Weber, also includes essays by
Schlosser, bestselling author Michael Pollan, food expert Marion
Nestle and sustainable farmer Joel Salatin among others. It is
filled with suggestions about what any concerned citizen can do
— create a community garden, opt out of the industrial
food system, advocate for responsible food marketing to
children, start a farmers market at a hospital — and
offers steps on how to get there. Scanning through the pages is
a good way to get the creative juices flowing.
To find additional resources on-line and to watch a
preview of Food Inc., CLICK HERE.
To sign up for the Robert Kenner newsletter, purchase
DVD’s when they are available, blog and the participant
web site in the on-line version go to Robert
Kenner Films website. |