Food Inc.

[Aliantha]

I watched this docu movie yesterday and was actually really shocked by a most of it.

I'm wondering what those of you who are US citizens thought of it if you've watched it.

You can watch it here if you're interested.

[NapcofinSelina]

Nothing valuable can be seen from this site. This made me headache. I hope everyone can share useful knowledge.

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Try to get rid of pain under left rib cage

[Aliantha]

OK, is there a thread somewhere else about this movie or has no one seen it or have I just entered 'anti american' territory by posting it?

I was actually wondering if anyone had alternative views to those expressed in the movie. Obviously there are always more than singular perspectives.

[Griff]

I haven't seen it but there is a lot wrong with our food supply.

[Aliantha]

You can watch it on the link I supplied if you're keen Griff. I would say it's worth the watching. Did you know that a large percentage of your hamburger meat is 'washed' in ammonia to kill the ecoli in it?

Thank god we don't have that here - yet.

[Clodfobble]

I saw it awhile back. It was the final straw in altering our grocery habits (or the last remaining unaltered part, anyway.) We have our beef shipped directly from a grass-fed/free-range farm a few hours north of us, and the other meats come certified organic and local from several places. All the produce is organic too. We just decided we're done with all that crap, and made financial cutbacks in other areas to make it happen.

[Dagney]

I've read the book, as well as watched the movie - and it honestly scared me about where our food comes from. We're doing everything we can to eliminate 'factory produced' foods - meats, etc - and amazingly - we feel better now that we've started eating 'real' food. (Real food - if we can't recognize it or its ingredients, we don't eat it)

Another really good book about local food and gardening - Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. HIGHLY recommended.

[Sundae]

I read Fast Food Nation.
And although it was about America it did alter my purchasing habits. My eyes were opened.

I'd watch this if I had the time to wait for it to buffer and then watch the whole thing. When all's said and done I am still on a computer in my parents' house. so long uniterrupted sessions are rare. And I'm obsessively watching Torchwood Miracle Day instead

Mum sees me as some sort of eco warrior, just because I turn lights off and refuse plastic bags in shops. Still, I'm widening her horizons at least. She used to snicker at Dad for his re-use of bags, because he only did it to get extra ClubCard points at Tesco (they trade the points in for vouchers and use them to go on holiday). Now she realises there is a reason behind it and snickers less.

[glatt]

I haven't seen any of those movies, but we have been moving toward eating more healthy and less processed stuff. It's really expensive though. My wife and I were just reviewing our finances the other day and were wondering where all the money was going. It's the food. Eating healthy food like fresh produce and organic milk is expensive.

[Sundae]

Depends where you get it from.
Supermarkets charge a premium because higher standards are set.

When I lived in Leicester I bought fresh produce nearly every day, as I walked past the market on my way to work. I also had a greengrocer and a butcher on my road.

It was approx the same price as supermarket shopping - sometimes a little cheaper - but the difference was the sell-by date. Fruit, veg, fish, meat pies - all needed to be consumed same day or day after. So you didn't get any bulk-buy discount. And you had to eat what you had bought. It seems like an old-fashioned way of eating now, but it was what I grew up with. And I wish I was within such easy proximity to fresh food now. It's easier to say "oh bugger it" when it's a two mile round trip on foot.

Pulses are always cheap, if you can stomach them.
Not fast food, but very filling and in the US they might have a small carbon footprint?

[kerosene]

Trying to watch it but the buffering is driving me crazy. Maybe i have a slow connection.

Yes, the majority of our food is jacked up. As far as beef goes, my husband works for a natural beef company and he has seen the processing. It's the only beef we eat, now. Plus it tastes far better than anything else I have tried. As far as other foods, I try, but most often am too lazy to go to the trouble to prepare whole foods. Most often we graze around on food, these days.

[SatelliteHead]

Novamov is notoriously slow.

If you're serious about your health, try giving up meat and dairy or try going 1 week every month without meat or dairy. It's difficult, but you can feel the effects (energy/mood/health).

[glatt]

When we switched to organic milk, we did a single blind taste test. The 1% organic milk tastes as rich as 4% regular milk. Organic tastes noticeably better than regular. I assume it's better for you. It's certainly more expensive.

[Aliantha]

They didn't even talk about what they do to milk in that show. That's as frightening as anything else!

[Flint]

Netflix is chock-full of these scary food documentaries.

Yes, eating healthier food can be more expensive. But, then again we don't try to save money by, say, never changing the oil in our car. We'd avoid breaking down the engine in our car, sure, but taking reasonable care of our own bodies is out of the question. We need the new iPhone or whatever.