One thing I learned from the film was that it is possible for farms to be organic and mass produce food. The film showed how Stonyfield was purchased by Groupe Danone. They were able to continue making yogurt that was “organic” even when their company was experiencing a huge increase in demand. I guess I always looked at mass food production as necessary and the way it was done was the only way to produce enough food, but this segment of the movie proves that wrong. It was a refreshing part of the movie and I think that is why it stood out to me. It was reassuring in that food can be mass produced, can be healthy, and can be safe. In the movie they visited an organic farm, where the owner was experiencing the same kind of increase in demand and he was able to stay true to himself and his values and continue to grow pigs and chickens in a natural environment that kept them safe and healthy. Showing both sides of the spectrum, raising and marketing, really showed me how it is possible to change where our food comes from, and make all the food we consume safer.
The reading by Gary Hirshberg really sent this home for me. It was really interesting to learn how Stonyfield came about and became so successful. It is a story I think many farmers that are struggling to stay organic should hear. It is possible for them to continue working, even when they think they may go under. It was a great story that really appealed to my emotions because it was about people working together to create something better for all.
Another thing I find interesting is that in the opening piece Eric Schlosser says, “I didn’t really want to write a political piece.” I find this interesting because Eric Reece was the same way in Lost Mountain. It seems that many of these environmental issues and impacts lead back to politics and government regulations that are not being followed. I understand the difficulty of tacking something such as writing about these issues as they relate to politics, but it would be interesting to trace back the people and money lines that have made American companies into what they are today be it coal companies or major fast-food chains.
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You make a good point in your last paragraph that caught my attention. No matter how hard environmentalist try to stay away from politics with their issue, some way the issue tends to always lead to the government. The government is supposed to be something the people can trust, instead it just may be the opposite when it comes to these issues.
ReplyDeleteI also found Hirshberg's story to be very inspiring. Business is a foreign concept to me, but I was able to understand that what Hirshberg was doing in today's market made sense and it was working. Even though he is criticized for his associations with companies like Walmart. The message was clear, if we want organic to be big, we have to make and sell it big!
ReplyDeleteI like that your blog highlights a different part of the movie standing out. I too found the Stoneyfield segment to be interesting. I however I only truly remember it from the book and not the movie. This segment was actually my argument for why in parts the book is better than the movie.
ReplyDeleteYou brought of the issue of being able to mass produce goods in a healthy and environmentally friendly manner. This is an aspect of food production that deserves the utmost attention and needs the time and resourced to be researched. It has been a difficult struggle for the food industry to deal with the growing demand but if there is way to do it efficiently and ethically, it is our duty to do so.
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