Have you had an opportunity to see “The Future of Food” yet? This was not a movie that made it to your local theater, but it continues to impact those of us who get an opportunity to view it. It was produced in 2004 to shed light on the GMO food industry. As stated at their website, “The Future of Food has been a key tool in the American and international anti-GMO grassroots activist movements and played widely in the environmental and activist circuits since its release in 2004. The film is widely acknowledged for its role in educating voters and the subsequent success of passing Measure H in Mendocino County, California, one of the first local initiatives in the country to ban the planting of GMO crops. Indicative of its popularity, the Future of Food showed to a sold out audience of 1,500 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2004, a benefit for Slow Food, where it was introduced by Alice Waters.”
On Thursday night, Bellisima Living and Collage teamed up to present this film. What I appreciate most about its content is that it stirred emotions in all of us and got us talking, asking questions, and pondering future actions. The content is disturbing and at times even shocking, yet it was not presented in a way to make one want to turn away. In fact, it has the opposite effect–it makes one want to watch until the end in order to learn more. The most gratifying aspect of this film for me was the last segment which offers hope and solutions.
I intend to present this film again in the near future. Its subject matter needs to be explored, and people need to consider what they are buying each time they go to the grocery store. If we all knew that something we were buying could cause illness, disease and/or allergies, I’m sure most–or all–of us would choose something different. This film gives you the opportunity to think about the choices you are making today. As stated at the end of the film, “The choices we make at the supermarket determine the future of food. It’s up to YOU!”
Without giving everything away, here are some of the questions explored in this well-organized documentary:
*What is gene patenting and who is doing it?
*What are GMO foods and how long have they been around?
*What are the primary GMO crops being grown in the United States?
*In what other countries are these crops being grown?
*Where and how are GMO foods being distributed and how do we know when we’re consuming them?
*What is happening to the farming industry in the U.S. and throughout the world?
*What other living things are being genetically modified?
*Who is behind what is occurring within the food industry and how widespread is it?
*Why is all of this important to know about?
*What can consumers do?
If you have not yet seen The Future of Food, I highly recommend that you rent or borrow it. Even better still, you can buy a copy for $10 or download a copy to your computer for $5 through their website at www.thefutureoffood.com. Then invite a group of family, friends, and neighbors over for an evening of thought-provoking and stimulating information and discussion.
It is up to us! What choices will we each make today, tomorrow, and further down the road? What will be the future of food and what role will we each play in that future?
