Food Inc. Part 1

Well lets just say.... I feel horrible about the way I treat my body. This movie/book took the cake when it comes to a wake up call. I have never felt so unhealthy in my life. This piece has made me more diet conscious and aware of how processed our food is here in America. Food Inc. provided me with detail of how our food was processed. I had always known that our food wasn't the best quality but Food Inc. gave me details. The film brought the book to life and the book gave more facts about the food industry in America. The book also showed me how the fast food industry has impacted American society and that the power behind the fast food industry is huge.
I was always under the impression that the food in the US is mass produced because its cheap and more profitable. Its true the organic food is more expensive to produce and consume but the demand for natural and organic food is growing. This became relevant to me in the part of the film where Stonyfield was purchased by Groupe Danone. This stood out to me because it gave some ease to the notion that our food can still be mass produced in a healthy, animal friendly way. It provided me with some reassurance. It was also refreshing to hear that the demand for natural and organic food products was growing. This made me feel like America is slowly waking up. In the movie they visited an organic farm, the farmer had to deal with the rising demand of organic food. To me the farmer was courageous because he stuck to his ideals and values and continued to raise his animals in an organic healthy manner. This also provided me with a sense of hope that our food can be produced safely and healthy.

In the first part of the reading I found the interview with Eric Schlosser to be quite interesting. It was intriguing to hear about his experience with gathering his research for Fast Food nation. Throughout his interview he mentioned illegal immigrant labor. This was a subject that seemed to move Eric. I was surprised to hear that illegal immigrants had been holding up California's agricultural economy for decades. Learning about these illegals workers opened my eyes to the harsh conditions that these individuals were subjected to work under. They are underpaid and exploited. The exploitation of these workers has now spread all over the US. This became ever more apparent to me in the part of his interview where he says "But that form of exploitation had, until recently, been limited to California and a handful of Southwestern states. Now it seemed to be spreading throughout the United States. Finding that illegal immigrants were being exploited in the heartland of America, in a town that on the surface looked straight out of a Norman Rockwell postcard well, to me, this was something new, a disturbing and important new trend (pg.8)."

I think everyone should watch or read Food Inc. It is time for America to wake up. Childhood obesity is now an epidemic which is going to put a huge strain on American society. I feel embarrassed that America has such low quality food. Its disturbing to know that the corporations within the food industry are more concerned about making a buck then with the poison they provide to us. Its pathetic, wake up America!