Just watched Food Inc.

I saw it recently... in fact I bought it. I'm not a vegetarian and will probably never be... but I am definitely pushing toward the organic lifestyle. The way they treated the animals made me feel deeply sick to my stomach, even though none of that was a surprise to me. (I have read Fast Food Nation, Don't Eat This Book, watched Super Size Me, The Future of Food, etc.) The way the food industry views it's workers and it's consumers is actually far more disturbing to me...

I just wish they would have made Food Inc available to watch for free on the internet... because they are keeping the message away from the people who need to hear/see it most - those who believe they cannot afford any alternative to their current lifestyle.

And I agree, the movie doesn't promote a vegan lifestyle... it promotes an organic, educated and responsible lifestyle.

It was a good movie.

Well that didn't make me become a vegetarian, but it opens your eyes. I did it for me. Anyway, don't stop eating meat because you feel guilty, there's plenty of ways to get meat that is raised properly but it's just more difficult.

So great ....now that I stay at home with the kids ..I make our own pasta sause...One day of pain...is a winter of awesome sause...
We buy close to all of our meat from local farmers..EGGS, beef and potatoes...we also try to stick into 100 km diet...buy everything that was grown in that range...Preserve food in the summers...and carry it over to the winters. It;s nice to have sause (pasta) sause that isn't laddend with sugar. My kids could just eat it as a soup too!
Eggs also taste soooo good farm fresh...and more vit .in them

Yes...I now buy only Organic milk, cage free eggs and grass fed meats. Isn't it crazy e-coli only exists because they feed the animals corn?

I saw it recently... in fact I bought it. I'm not a vegetarian and will probably never be... but I am definitely pushing toward the organic lifestyle. The way they treated the animals made me feel deeply sick to my stomach, even though none of that was a surprise to me. (I have read Fast Food Nation, Don't Eat This Book, watched Super Size Me, The Future of Food, etc.) The way the food industry views it's workers and it's consumers is actually far more disturbing to me...

I just wish they would have made Food Inc available to watch for free on the internet... because they are keeping the message away from the people who need to hear/see it most - those who believe they cannot afford any alternative to their current lifestyle.

And I agree, the movie doesn't promote a vegan lifestyle... it promotes an organic, educated and responsible lifestyle.

I have not seen this movie but have heard about it from my DIL. I probably will never be vegetarian, but am certainly leaning towards organic. I try to buy local, and read, read, read, labels.
A great book to read is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kinsolver. This book really opened my eyes to the whole food industry and gov"t mandates. I highly recommend it. Check your local Sat/Sun markets.
I believe that if you subscribe to Netflicks, Food, Inc. is an watch instantly.

I can't do netflix where I am (Germany). They don't allow instant downloads at all here.

I'll have to check out that book.

and to Nikbrown - We're considering growing/raising our own, too... when we get back to the states (we can't here - active duty military living in base housing in a foreign country, etc.) But while living in the city, we're going to start with chickens and a backyard garden. I figure if we have enough chickens, we can trade eggs and produce to some of the other locals who raise different animals/crops. And you're right, there are a lot of supportive communities out there. The area where our house in AZ is, there are two farmers markets on different weekends within a 3 mile radius of home! That's definitely something we can take advantage of when we get back, provided they are still going on in 2012. And www.backyardchickens.com is a good source for information regarding raising your own chickens - even for city-dwellers.

In the meantime, I'm starting an herb garden on my patio and looking into the practicality/cost of buying locally hunted game. It sucks, though, that my options are so limited. It is terribly expensive to buy meat on the economy here - 2-3 times what it costs at the commissary on base, and not having a firm grasp on the language makes reading labels virtually impossible. So right now, I'm stuck and I feel really bad for it... but I'm formulating plans to change.

Aside from how the animals are treated, what got me is the fact that they are washing meat in amonia mixes or chlorine mixes to prevent e coli and other nasty germs from spreading! I was so shocked when the guy it TX was talking about amonia rinsing the hamburger filler I seriously almost barfed.

Also what got me is the soy beans and Monsanto. Soy is such a major protein component for many people who are trying to stay away from eating (and dairy) and here they are probably unknowingly eating genitically modified soy products. The movie didn't mention too much about organic soy products but considering how big Monsanto is, I would guess they have a gmo organic soy bean too that many products are made from. GROSS.
It was also very frustrating and sad to see how Monsanto chases farmers who refuse to use their beans out of business. And makes millions off of it in the mean time.

If you care about the animals but don't want to give up meat:
A) hunt wild game (or become friends with hunters)
Find small farmers who sell meat to local butchers. Buy the meat there.

The companies in stuff like Food Inc. are massive agribusiness congolmerates. They're not your average Joe farmers. If you go to the little guys, the animals are rarely mistreated. Small farmers usually get a small but vital income stream from showing their animals. That means they have to be healthy, and well taken care of.

I haven't given up meat since watching the movie but I have been more active in choosing grass fed meats, cage free eggs, etc. I've been looking for local farmers markets but its still pretty cold here so it may be a few months.

I was shocked at what can be made from corn! I don't eat corn but its becoming a scary grain.

The farming pesticide non re-using seed thing in Indiana was absurd. I can't believe these companies hold these farmers hostage. Farming today is not like it was back in the 1800s.