Food Inc. - Casey Ligon

Most of the concepts and imagery from Food Inc are not new to me. I've seen plenty of news articles and films detailing the farming industry. I think it's sad that I've seen these images and heard this same message over and over again without taking a step toward a better consumer lifestyle. I go to whichever grocery store is closest and pick out whatever food is cheapest or looks good to me at the time. So many consumers buy into this that big cooperation get bigger and immoral trends continue within the farming industry.

I went Organic for a few months at one point, but I wasn't able to see the results of all my new shopping choices, so I went back to just buying whatever was most convenient.

One part of Food Inc. made me realize that even a small change makes a difference. At one point in the film, the chicken farmer refused to 'upgrade' to a less humane bird enclosure and she lost her contract with the company that bought her stock. Clearly Tyson didn't care at all about the welfare of the chickens, so when their producer refused to make a 'small' change, they were able to drop her without a second thought and move on to another supplier willing to sink to lower animal rights convictions (or lack thereof). This simply made me think of all the small steps that buyers have made toward allowing less-than-desirable animal living conditions, and how far they will be able to go if consumers continue buying their foods.

Now that I am in a new city, I have options for buying groceries at markets that provide only organic and natural foods. Because this provides me with an easier buying process (rather than scouring the shelves at Publix for the occasional organic product), and because one part of the film truly made an impact on me, I am more likely to start eating organically. Not for the sake of a healthy diet, or to go with the green trend, but for me to feel good about the way farmers and animals are treated in the process of getting that food from the farm to my dinner table.