A very important film is showing in select theaters nationwide. It's called "Food, Inc."
Once you see this film, you will never look at food the same way again. Why is this film important to pups? Because the foods that we feed our dogs come from our nation's food supply. And what effects these foods have on us, also have the same, or even more drastic, effects on our dogs. So don't miss this film and find a theater near you, it's important for you and your pup!
From the website:
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Interesting, thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteThis is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart as an Animal Scientist.
I can assure you that the rancher "cattle" industry is very much alive.
The pictures in the video are very misleading. They showed a mass of cattle that were at the feedlot for a short time period prior to being sent to the harvesting facility.
Most all (almost) of the cattle used in the food industry are still those that graze.
There are different phases in the development of the cattle.
The cattle entering the feedlot "as shown in the video" is a final stage meant to increase the amount of fat in the animal (to increase palatability for a tender product. It is more about quality control than anything else).
Everyone in the cattle industry take very good care of their animals. Consumers WILL not pay for a damaged / bruised product, so they are treated very well.
I can't really say much for the poultry industry or other sectors as it is beyond my scope of expertise.
Gross generalization "Everyone in the cattle industry take(s) very good care of their animals" doesn't make me trust you. Of course there are those who do not take good care. So how would we know the cow that produced our ribeye in Kroger's was bruised at the feedlot?
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