Earlier this year, I interviewed Joel Salatin, one of the stars of the movie Food Inc., at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association – MA Winter Conference.
In case you don’t remember, Joel Salatin was the organic farmer in the movie who was cutting up the chickens in his “outdoor” processing facility.
One complaint that never seems to disappear is the high price of organic food. In the video, Joel addresses this concern and what people can do about it.
I have a decent amount of footage with Joel and will be releasing it in a few different installments. Here is the first one.
Joel Salatin emphasizes the hidden costs of processed foods that are discussed in the documentary Food Inc. We don’t realize that even though we are paying low prices, in the long run this is detrimental to our health, to the abused animals in CAFOs, and to farmers and other workers involved in the process. There are so many social factors at play as well. The recruiting done by the major meat factories in Mexico was astonishing, not to mention their treatment of the workers. This business model hurts so many people and animals that the cost of that $0.99 bag of chips hardly seems worth it.
Hi Alejandra,
I couldn’t agree with you more, on all of your points. The social costs are incredibly high and do not get enough attention. Food Inc. gave fantastic exposure as to what is truly going on in this country with the CAFOs, and I hope people’s awareness continues to grow.
Thanks for your feedback!
Live well,
Max
As important as it is to make the investment towards healthier, organic foods, how helpful is it to families and others who simply do not have the means to afford them? For example, one food that is rather more expensive than non-organic is milk and it is more expensive because it is not processed ironically. The limited availability and cost cause many to rely on the subsidized price provided most readily. That being said, more information should be put out about the benefits and ways of obtaining organic food. I had not researched items like raw milk till after this documentary simply because I had never heard of it before.
Hi Nancy,
I think it is a matter of a few things:
- educating people on the importance of organic food
- putting pressure on politicians to make organic food more affordable and fewer subsidies to major ag companies to produce GMO food.
- showing people how to spend their dollars more wisely and how to allocate their limited dollars in a more effective and healthy way.
I agree. We need to get more information out there. It is very critical.
Thanks for your input.
Live well,
Max
Hi,
What saddens me the most is that this information (processed nutritionally empty food, non-organic etc.) is not reaching the low-income Spanish folks. Currently, Grocery Outlet sells a few organic items but most people who buy there don’t understand the difference: and if given a choice would shop a brand that they have seen on TV.
We have such an incredible opportunity to change people’s lives but the information should be available to all people. Just imagine if more people understood the benefits of eating non-process, non-toxic food, what a difference it could make in the food industry.
I am volunteering my time at the San Pablo Farmer’s Market this year to connect with people there.
Hi Elizabeth,
You are correct – it is not reaching as many people as it should. That is why every single one of us has to do our best to spread the truth about healthy, organic food. The information is out there but it just isn’t getting to everyone.
Thank you for volunteering at the San Pablo Farmer’s Market!!
Live well,
Max