In response to the question about producing food, not chickens. I think this means that we are not breeding chickens as healthy animals, we are breeding them as the most profitable food sources. Chickens are fed in order to make them fat and more productive. I think this is true. Farmers who kill chickens for their meat are not typically raising chickens to be naturally healthy. This can be a good concept for humanity because, as humans we are creating the more productive animals. If we can make chickens which have more meat and lay more eggs we are able to depend more on their products. This prospective also disturbs me at the same time. If we are modifying chickens to meet our desires and demands in unnatural ways this could lead to harmful results.
Our dependency on corn and soybeans is also an issue worth paying attention to. If all of our products and foods are made out of the same ingredients it could lead to a catastrophic failure. If either, or both of these products were to crash due to natural forces we could be in for a disaster. This dependency allows for some select companies to benefit greatly from our dependency but others suffer. Also it is important for consumers to have a wide range of nutrients which they would not get from eating products which all contain similar ingredients.
The price we pay for buying the cheapest food is poor conditions for workers on the other end of the hour glass. Tomato farmers are a great example of this. We want cheap "fast food" with ingredients like tomatos but the price we pay as a society for this food is having slavery like work conditions in places like Immokalee Florida. I disagree with this method of exploitation, but in some ways this is how our country was built. In order for some to live like royalty, others must be exploited.
Price and efficiency drive our food system and our whole economic system for that matter. I think price should not be the motivating factor in our food system, ethics, morals, human rights, and employee rights should have a more important role. I have found that when I am not in need of money I am a more kind, caring, and helpful person. I think this is also true for all other aspects of life. If dollars don't matter so much and we all are living comfortable people are more benevolent. I think our food system could change for the better if those in the middle of the hour glass were willing to value profits secondary. I think the quality of our food would be the biggest change because that is often one loss to maximum profits. Also worker conditions and rights would change for the better. We would also have the chance to value our environment more than the mighty dollar. If we could put profits and individual greed in the backseat we could limit the damage to the earth. Accidents like oil spills would be limited, damage from agriculture reduced, and other profit driven damage could be stopped.
The seed patent is like one of the most rediculuous things I have ever heard of. How can someone own all seeds of a certin type? Patents are tricky, there are some things which no one person or entity should be able to own. Technologies like the internet are a great example of this. When there are inventions or developments which benefit all of mankind the public should be in control, not a single monopoly. If I were robbed of my families tradition like this there is no way I would follow the law. I think the American government has a responsibility to stop patents like this from controlling our countries food industry. Food is something everyone should have a right to, in a true democracy patents on seeds should not be allowed.Consumers should know what's in their foods. This is the first step to unveiling the secrets behind our food and how it is produced. A more educated public will make more educated decisions on their food choices. This is not what those in power want. That is why we see groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom, who fight against increased labeling on our foods. The CCF is a front set up to confuse consumers and to protect the corporations who are profiting off of harming the public through unhealthy products.
I think this film mostly privileges the experiences of Americans because most of what we see is focused on our food industry and production within our boarders. There are many issues this film could not include which extend overseas but it also has a focus on issues that have affected Mexico and their corn industry.I first saw this film in my biology 101 class a year or two ago but we never finished it, and I did not really understand some of the issues. I own a burned copy from PBS and watched it again this last weekend. After taking this class the movie began to shock me more than when I first watched it. I think this film is very important to our country because it exposes many of the problems facing our food industry and effectively our consumers. Everyone should watch this film and learn more about the food industry, simply because everyone eats. Too many Americans are uneducated on our food industry, including myself. That is one reason why I am thankful for taking this course, it has opened my eyes to the problems surrounding our food and its production. I hope more movies like this are created in the near future because it is a great way to inform large audiences and the general public.
Nice work!
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