Food Inc.

[Laurajean]

Quote:
I don't believe large scale factory farming is much of a "farm" in the traditional sense, and do not see that as offensive, but fact. It has absolutely become more "factory" than farm. It was not intended as an insult. And I did NOT say that they were "for the most part" less. Those are your words, not mine. My exact words were "...So bottom line, in my opinion: Are there many factory "farms" that have appalling conditions both for the animals and the resulting meat? Yes. Are there factory farms that have ethical standards and clean facilities? Yes. Is it easy to find out which is which? Not really. ..." No part in there did I say "for the most part" anything. I know nothing about where you work and wouldn't make such presumptions. I simply said that many factory farms are appalling and many are clean and ethical. It's totally your call to decide which you fall in, but the fact is, there ARE both. You would be naive to think that you're in a perfect industry, none of us are.

I work for an exterminator. I don't know about where you live, but around here, exterminators are notorious for having a bad reputation. The big national companies do a lousy job, are overpriced and tend to "trick" customers into unnecessary contracts. Some of the small private companies hire idiot kids who have no experience or are not properly licensed and do a lousy job. My boss (also my ex) has been in business for 24 years. He's very thorough, extremely knowledgeable in his field, and does very effective work. I get lots of new customers every day, who are used to being screwed over by Terminex or Orkin, or some local deadbeat company, and call us with apprehensions about our field. I hear it every day. It doesn't offend me. Why would it? Because they're "insulting my field"? They aren't insulting us, I'm happy to show them why we are different. When I'm in social groups (like this, or in person) and people talk about my industry, I have to agree, many ARE crooked or ineffective in my field, it's TRUE. Many are not however, and so I explain that to them.

You said it didn't raise a hackle, but clearly you must be somewhat offended to explain twice why you are offended. Please know that I am not referring to YOU or where you work, that would be absurd. What I said was pretty clear: There ARE factory farm conditions that are appalling, there ARE, whether you like it or not. And likewise, there are factory farm conditions that are clean and ethical, as I stated the first time. Why not just agree with that reality rather than blindy defending factory farms that you haven't worked for? After all, all you really know is your own experiences, right? So please don't feel offended that I have experienced some other conditions. I think I was more than fair by NOT generalizing the industry, I simply said there were both.

 

[newchknmama]

Im not going to get in on the arguement about farms and family farms and what not.. but to the OP, I watched it a year and a half ago and it changed my life forever. I do not think it was propaganda, I think it reflected real problems in this country. Before watching it, I had no idea what a GMO was, or what the government did with subsidaries. I didn't realize how horrible HFCS was. Aside from the occasional Pizza my family of 7 (5 kids under 10) have only dined out 2 times and both times it made me physically sick. My kids ask me now if the meat we eat is good or bad. It taught me a lot and allowed me to make informed decisions. I learned to cook thanks to this movie. Are we perfect? by no means.. am I happier and more confident when faced with discussions on this matter, you bet! Do I think they were showing the worst of the worst, probably... but unless you KNOW where you food is coming from, you can't know if it came from a "factory farm" or a ethical large operation. I want to support local farmers. So many of the farmers that are farming naturally, ethically, and organically do so because of their love of the end product and utmost respect for the animal it is producing or the people they are feeding (in regards to vegetables/fruit etc) They of course want to turn a profit but they arent doing it to get rich. I suggest everyone I know to watch it if nothing else to get more informed and go out there and become a little more educated. I had no idea prior to watching it how involved the Government was in agriculture and how the end produce effects the consumer. It has made me a better person, citizen, mother, wife and all around individial.

 

[AquaEyes]

I think the film was not saying "this is what happens on all farms" but saying "the vast majority of our food is produced by a small number of huge farms, and this is how those huge farms operate." You can say that there are more farmers who do things another way, but their total output of food is dwarfed by the types represented in the film. It wasn't an attack on farming. It was a glimpse at how much of our food is produced today, for people who typically don't know where their food comes from.

And whether someone calls feedlots a type of "factory farming" or CAFO's doesn't change the fact that this practice is the reason for the proliferation of the nasty strains of E. coli in beef.

The purpose of the film was to get people to begin asking "where does my food come from?" by showing some disturbing practices that are allowed in the production of the majority of the food consumed in this country. It also showed that not every farmer does things this way, and points people in the direction of finding their products.

 

[allen wranch]

Everyone has made some good points and explanations regarding the different types of farming and where our food comes from. Thank you for your input.