Truth, Inc.

Apparently there has been a resurgence in the circulation of the movie Food, Inc. A number of people have been coming into the store having a fit about how awful farms and animal processing facilities are in this country. Although I am a full supporter of small farms and local marketing (that is what we do here, after all), I understand the importance of production agriculture and I am angered by the negative image Food, Inc. is placing in people's minds. Think about the message I mentioned in my last post: who funded this movie, what are their motives, and do they really know anything?

Food, Inc. was produced by an extremely biased organization whose goal is to eliminate animal agriculture in the US. They are only showing you what they want you to see and are using a lack of knowledge about animal production and your gut reaction from the movie to turn public opinion against agriculture. The group spreads their information under the guise of a concerned organization who is looking out for your health, but their focus and funding is actually directed towards a radical farm-elimination plan. What you see on the movie is not an accurate representation of food production, it is an attempt to dupe the public into supporting a ridiculous idea.

A particular scene in the movie that has been causing a stir is a short bit of footage showing a manure-covered hide being removed from an animal at the processing plant. Individuals I have spoken with are concerned that the filth from the hide is touching the bare carcass, and is therefore contaminating the beef that will be purchased by consumers. If this is all you see on the movie, you will probably be at least a little disturbed...but there is more that the crafty cameraman is not showing you. He conveniently fails to show the carcass, immediately after the hide is removed, move into a hot water sterilization chamber to remove any dirt and eliminate harmful bacteria. He fails to show the many, many layers of safety measures each carcass is exposed to in order to provide a safe product for you and your family - in other words, he is trying to trick you into believing only what he wants you to. I have been to large packing plants, I have been on the floor while they are in operation, and I have seen the full process and all of the safety measures with my own eyes (not a camera lens). The precautions are there, and they are real. Remember that every USDA inspected packing plant in the United States is held to a zero tolerance standard - that means if a SINGLE e-coli bacteria is found in the final product, it is condemned and the plant is shut down until the source is eliminated. Knowing this, it does not make much sense to assume that grime from outside is carelessly allowed to spread throughout your product.

There is no shortage of negative media coverage concerning agriculture. It is safe to say, however, that a vast majority of it is from an inaccurate source such as the one mentioned above. Please, the next time you hear something like this, try to evaluate it beyond a gut reaction. Does it seem to be trying to sway your opinion against farms? Is it focusing on very negative rumors about the industry? Could there possibly be more to the story than what you are seeing? There is a 99% chance that yes, this is the case...you should disregard the information. I urge you to investigate websites like beefmagazine.com (check out Amanda Nolz blog, she is very good at discussing these issues) and advocatesforag.com for some legitimate information concerning food production. These sites speak the truth about farming, but are frequented mostly by farmers who already know the story. I believe if the non-farm public looks at real information about farms and hears the concerns of farmers, fears about food safety and concerns about animal care will quickly melt away. Don't write it off as an inconvenience; keep this knowledge in the back of your mind and the next time you find yourself horrified about something you heard, check your emotions, think it through and ask yourself "is this really true?" Probably not.