Food, Inc., the new documentary directed by Robert Kenner and co-produced by Fast Food Nation’s Eric Schlosser, opened nationwide this weekend. Food Inc. is less about Hollywood and more about a wide-eyed walk down the supermarket aisle – and the imagery utilized to market the foods we put into our carts every week.
My interest in Food Inc. stemmed from our work with Stonyfield Farm, a pioneer in the organic industry, which by the way has grown to $24.5 billion – but still only represents 3.5% of America’s grocery dollars.
You leave Food Inc. thinking, for one, I’ll never eat chicken again (and I haven’t since seeing the premiere a week ago). More important, though, is the understanding that our food is not farmed, but mass-produced. I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise. But there’s some pretty startling footage in Food Inc. – casting a light on the treatment of farmers, workers and animals, and the chemical exposure of foods most of us eat on a regular basis, like ammonia-treated hamburger filler (in 70% of the hamburgers consumed in the US). I’m no expert, but something tells me Mr. Clean is better on your floors than in your food (though I’m a personally a fan of Seventh Generation and Method)
I also learned that 64% of Americans can now be categorized as obese or overweight, and one in three children growing up today will develop early-onset diabetes. This last point was driven home in heart-wrenching fashion in the movie, when a young girl shopping with her parents reached for fresh fruit to add to their grocery cart and was told to “put them back, we can’t afford that.” The mother went on to explain that it’s more economical to feed her family at any number of fast-food chains.
The cost of organics is often raised as a barrier when we speak with food media and bloggers. But, as Stonyfield Founder Gary Hirshberg explained in a Q&A after the screening, greater consumer demand will help drive the price of organics down. To that end, Stonyfield recently gained distribution at Wal-Mart.“We need to be Goliath, not David fighting Goliath,” Hirshberg said in his appearance in Food Inc.With regard to Wal-Mart’s increased focus on organics, the chain’s dairy buyer explained, “We look at what the consumer wants and get behind it.”
Stonyfield’s site has a Q&A with Robert Kenner, and 30+ printable coupons for organic brands, including Stonyfield yogurt and more.
For food brands that have a good story to tell, and many do, getting consumers to look beyond imagery to read the label is key. Brands should be as clear as possible about what’s in – and not in – their products. The USDA is helping with its National Organic Program symbol. Motivated consumers are also searching online for ingredients and sources, an opportunity for brands to be part of the discussion in social networks, on blogs and in forums.
No matter what side of the discussion you’re on, Food Inc. is a must-see – just be sure to eat you go. If you miss it in theaters, the DVD should be out right about the same time as the Natural Products Association’s Expo East, coinciding with the Organic Products Expo in Boston September 23-26.
Filed under: Events and Conferences, Food & Beverage PR, Food Industry, Green Marketing, Politics by LauraTomasetti - 3 Comments →
