A New Look at Food

I finally convinced my husband to sit down with me and watch “Food Inc.” We rent all of our movies on iTunes and since it was finally available I couldn’t wait to see it! I knew going into the movie what the gist was, but didn’t really know how much detail it would go into.

For those of you that haven’t heard about the movie, it is a documentary that uncovers the truth behind what we eat, both meat and vegetables.

I am someone who has recently made a conscious effort to change my eating habits. It mostly started when I was pregnant and now breast feeding because I knew my food was not only going into my body, but also my son’s. I have alway been a relatively heathy eater, but I have not always cared where my food came from. Until recently I would buy mostly organic or free range meats and still eat meat that others cooked. In the past few months I’ve cut out all meat that is not local and I don’t know the farm it came from or how it was raised.

Food Inc. really opened my eyes, not only to the poor conditions that the animals are raised in, but the businesses that are involved. Meat is big business and there are only a few meat producers in this country that determine what ends up at your dinner table. The big businesses pay the farmers to raise meat exactly the way that they want to and if the farmers don’t comply they will loose their jobs. Chickens/cows and pigs are raised in tight confined spaces with no daylight and are forced to live with their feces at their feet. Animals are sick and have diseases that spread rapidly through the pens that the animals are kept in. To combat sicknesses the feed that the animals are given contains antibiotics. What really struck me is that because they pump the chicken in particular with hormones they can grow bigger faster and they get so big that their legs can’t hold their body weight, so they don’t even move.

So these big businesses that control the farms also control the slaughter houses. This is the really disturbing part, not only are the animals living in utterly terrible conditions, the workers who slaughter them have it almost as bad. These workers are forced to work in an assembly line style to keep pay low and even worse they are shipping in illegal immigrants so that the pay can be even less.

So what do you think when you see such cheap meat at the grocery stores? Wow, what a deal, right? Think again, they are still making money on that meat, all because of the poor conditions the animals live in, the cheep corn they feed them and the cheep wages the workers are paid.

So why pay a higher price tag for meat? You are actually paying what that meat should cost because it is raised in an ethical manner, allowed to roam free on a farm and eat grasses in the pasture. These farmers aren’t getting rich because the meat costs more. It’s the Tyson’s of the country that are getting rich because of their poor quality of meats.

While this was all very informative, what really drove things home for me was a woman who was trying to fight the government to pass “Kevin’s Law,” a law based on the passing of her 2 year old son due to e-coli. E-coli that was in the hamburger meat that her son ate was what killed him. That very same meat was recalled days later by the supplier. Why do we hear about meat being recalled and even our veggies (i.e. tomatoes and spinach?). The diseases that runs through the farms where the animals are raised spreads like wildfire and cannot be contained. Animals are living in such poor conditions that it is only natural for them to be sick. So how does it get to our veggies? The movie goes on to tell us that the animal feces of those sick animals is washed to nearby farms where our veggies grow, contaminating them as well.

So what can we do, so that our children do not get sick like Kevin? Each consumer can make a change. When consumers change their focus on what they buy, we can put these big businesses out of business! Buy local, that includes all meats, fruits, veggies and dairy. Search your area for a local farm that raises their animals with no hormones or antibiotics, look for a local organic vegetable/fruit farm co-op that you can join to have fresh veggies all season long, or grow your own garden.

Just this Saturday I visited the farm where I buy meat and dairy and there were people coming in and out for the 10 minutes that I was there. I overheard one woman asking lots of questions and saying that it was her first time to the farm. It is a small family run business out of the basement of the family home on the farm, so you are up close and personal with all of the people that live and breath farm life. I have to think that the busier business mean that people are trying to make a conscious choice about what they eat. It is exciting to witness change!

How do you consider your food choices? Have you become more conscious about food because you have children? What changes do you still want to make in your eating habits? How do you think that you can/cannot make a difference? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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