Gritty reality of where food comes from depicted in movie

By Kathryn Reed

After the bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this month, a sequel to “Food, Inc.” may be necessary.

All eggs, no matter the origin, sold in California starting in 2015 must meet the standards set forth in the 2008 voter approved Proposition 2. This legislation says all hens must be able to freely lie down, stand up, extend their wings and turn around. 2015 is the year the proposition takes affect.

“Food, Inc.” is the 2008 documentary about where animal products in the United States come from well before consumers buy them at the grocery store.

It’s graphic. It’s raw – in several meanings of the word. It’s disturbing. It had Sue and I turning our heads several times, but the audio told us what was going on.

Why watch it?

For one, too many people think their food comes from a grocery store. There is no thought beyond that. No thought about who grew it or raised it. No thought about the chemicals involved or what the animals may have consumed. No thought about what conditions the animals lived in.

I was familiar with much of the commentary in the movie. I had not seen all the pictures. I hadn’t seen chickens unable to move because it was wall-to-wall chickens.

Suddenly, the fact that in my vegetarian diet I do consume eggs – and bake with them all the time – I was alarmed. I had heard stories, but to see the conditions and hear from the farmers made my stomach turn.

The unfortunate thing about the new California law is that it does not address processed foods. Just think about all the food products that contain eggs. Then think about if the bill would cover the hens laying those eggs.

But maybe, just maybe, this law will change how some hens are treated. That would be a movie sequel worth watching – how food production has improved in the United States.

Another alarming aspect the movie brought forward is how agricultural is dominated by a handful of companies. It’s right up there with big oil. It was pointed out how people in government who are there to regulate the industry came from the industry. Sound familiar?

It’s one of those movies that everyone should see so they have an understanding of where food comes from.

The movie does show a farmer who has no problem doing things in what would be labeled a more organic way – having cows eat grass instead of a corn product. Corn isn’t a natural food product for cows – it’s something people have found cheap and easy to feed them.

If you want to know more about where food comes from, I highly recommend the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser.