Food, Inc. Reaction

While watching the documentary Food, Inc. I felt compelled to write a letter to my Congress and Senate representatives. Not only is it appalling to learn that major food producers are engineering animals, but they are doing so at the cost of our health! Rather than "rework the system" to better protect food from becoming contaminated, companies are developing technology and processes to "cleanse" food. For instance there is a company that 'purifies' their ground beef in a cleaning solution containing bleach! The most disgusting part of the movie wasn't the overwhelming amount of hidden information, it was the visions of maltreatment of the animals as well as the slaughtering and butchering process. That did not sit well with me; actually most of the movie disagreed with my stomach! Aside from the few proponents of change interviewed in the documentary, I did not like what I saw.

Seeing that there are farmers and individuals in America who are willing to work towards a change gives me hope that the harmful food sources will be taken care of. I believe that it is documentaries like this that connect individuals and groups to fight for a common cause. It is important that teachers are informed about movements such as this because we are teaching the future! By bringing awareness into the classrooms, teachers are helping to create change. This is done by educating students about various effects of procedures, or whatever the case may be, and providing them with the tools to find possible solutions. If a child goes home and is persistent about creating a household change to help "save the country" then parents will become indirectly educated on the topic. The more people informed about a movement, the more the cause will spread.

You can't preach about movements to your students in an abundance, but you can work it into the curriculum here and there. It is very important that the discussions and lessons about revolutionizing the nation are not biased, or cult-like. As teachers, it is our job to provide students with both sides of the story as best as we can. I believe that a student has the tools and knowledge to make an informed decision about where they stand on a topic provided they are given the pros and cons of the situation. Of course this is all circumstantial because not all causes are black and white; there is a lot of gray area in the world. Regardless, teachers have connections to help create change simply because we are teaching the future of our country.

*On a related but side note, there is a petition you may sign that aims to assure schools have healthier food choices...

petition for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act