“When they grow from a chick and in seven weeks you’ve got a five-and-a-half- pound chicken, their bones and their internal organs can’t keep up with the rapid growth. A lot of these chickens here, they can take a few steps and then they plop down. It’s because they can't keep up all the weight that they’re carrying. That’s normal. There’s antibiotics that’s put into the feed and of course that passes through the chicken. The bacteria build up a resistance, so antibiotics aren’t working anymore. I have become allergic to all antibiotics and can’t take ’em.” – Farmer, Food, Inc.
When I hear the word ignorance, I think of not being informed or educated on a topic. But I have started thinking recently that a lot of people actively choose to be uninformed about certain things. It's not always a case of lack of opportunity or resources in which to gain information. No. It's about ignoring the issue altogether. I had never realized just how similar the words "ignore" and "ignorance" truly are.
If you haven’t seen the movie, Food, Inc., you really should. While it was initially horrifying and appalling, it completely changed the way that I think my food.
If you haven’t seen the movie, Food, Inc., you really should. While it was initially horrifying and appalling, it completely changed the way that I think my food.
It never occurred to me just how removed I am from the food that I put into my body. The food I eat is always sitting on a shelf at the grocery store, awaiting my selection. Take an apple, for example. Where did it come from, specifically? And, no, the answer to this question is not “the grocery store.” What was put in this apple? There must be a reason why some apples are ginormous and others are super small.
It started to really bother me that I didn’t know the answers to these basic questions.
This movie opened my eyes to a lot of conditions that most people try to avoid seeing. I understand why major food corporations go to great lengths to keep it that way. Ignorance means large profits for them. If you knew how it got to your plate, you would probably not look at it the same way anymore.
I’m not saying that this movie will make you want to be a vegetarian. It’s just supposed to get you thinking about how much of the process is kept from us… intentionally. If anything, it may make you want to try alternatives... like free range and grass-fed meat. But overall, the main lesson I learned from it is that there ARE other options. The way you cast your vote to keep the corporations from treating animals cruelly and lacing them with drugs depends on what you buy at the grocery store.
Food, Inc. also got me thinking a great deal about how everything I eat could be related to my health issues. Do I have severe reactions to antibiotics and stomach issues out the wahzoo because of the food that I eat? I really hope not. But I will probably never know for sure.
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