Food Inc.

Definitely recommend the documentary "Food Inc." It's a good heads up as to what we unfortunately are consuming on a daily basis. 

Here are a few things I learned from the film:

-Tomatoes are picked green half way across the world, and then ripened with ethylene gas to speed up the ripening process in order to sell them in stores.

- Chickens are now made to grow faster and with bigger breasts using steroids in order to mass produce cheaper.  Chicken's bones were not created to withstand that much weight and therefore cause the chickens to only be able to walk 1 or 2 steps before tumbling to the ground.  The farmers wouldn't even allow the reporter access to see inside the chicken farm as the conditions were that bad.  One farmer, though she lost her job because of it allowed them in.  She is actually now allergic to most antibiotics due to the exposure she's had on her farm.

-The farmers seen in this film are basically slaves to the major meat companies and have no say in how they raise their animals.  The farmer still only earns approx. $18,000 per year.

-What used to produce 20 bushels of corn now can produce 200 bushels of corn with the use of pesticides and fertilizers only to be washed away into our drinking water and consumed by animals and humans.

-90% of our food contains some form of corn or soybeans.  Mostly in the form of high fructose corn syrup.  We feed animals who are made to consume grass this corn as well. We feed them this because it's cheap and makes them fat. 

-The average meal travels 1500 miles to reach us.  

Some advise:

-Buy from companies that treat their animals, workers, and the environment fairly.

-Read your labels

-Buy locally and in season

-The money you spend on healthier food will pay off someday