I watched the documentary "Food Inc." the other day. It is a documentary about food production in the United States. Sounds boring, but I was utterly appalled at how the majority of the food in this country is produced. They went into detail on how chickens, cows, corn, soy beans, and hogs are raised and processed commercially and it was enough to make me really think twice about the things I buy at the store. I have always been one to try to go with as much organic products that I can afford, and this year we bought a side of beef from Missouri Grass Fed Beef, which I would highly recommend. The point of the documentary was how large companies are ruining the food processing and farming industry. These companies have applied factory production techniques to making food and it is astounding at how unhealthy the food has become over the past few decades because of their unnatural treatment of the animals. I have seen small scale feed lots before, but some of these facilities were just deplorable and contained thousands of chickens, cattle or hogs standing in their own waste with no room to move. It wasn't just the unhealthy conditions that bothered me, it was how the animals were treated. Now, I grew up on a farm, and I have no qualms about butchering animals for food. I am not a PETA fan either, but there was just something that seemed so disrespectful to life in general in the way they were treated. They were picking them up with fork lifts and shoving them into trucks or processing plants while they were still alive. The point to me was that they were taking farming away from the farmers. Farming I think teaches you to respect the animals you are caring for. They can be used for food, but they are respected for their purpose. They are living creatures created by God.
They also went into some details about Genetically Modified Foods(GMOs) and how large companies like Monsanto basically bully farmers into using their products. I know that Monsanto is based here in St. Louis and employs a lot of local people, and I never had a problem with them until watching this movie. I was shocked to see that they sue these small farmers for patent infringement, because they are saving their own seeds to use next year, and some of their corn or soybeans have cross pollinated with their crops from the neighbors fields. They have so much money that they can sue the guys, knowing that they may not be able to win the suit, but just to tie it up in court until the farmers legal fees are too much for him to handle. They just ruin these poor guys just trying to make a living.
On an uplifting note, they did show some farmers and producers who were trying to do things organically and naturally. They followed some farmers who use grass fed only techniques to make healthier food. They showed how some organic farmers are going against common industry practices to produce their food in a more natural and healthy way. So, there is hope that things can change. They explained that we as consumers can change these practices by seeking out and purchasing natural and organic products. I know there is also an increase in popularity of buying locally produced food at specialty stores and farmers markets, so it is possible to be more healthy and environmentally friendly. I would definitely recommend this documentary, I really think everyone should watch it.
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