Food, Inc. (The documentary)

[sebberry]

Just watched this documentary. Just enough detail to really give you a good insight into how commercialized the fresh food production, especially meat, has become.

I would say that most of us on here are concerned about social and environmental issues and I recommend that you rent and watch this.

[martini]

I have been meaning to see this, my understanding is it's a 'must see'.

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by sebberry

Just enough detail to really give you a good insight into how commercialized the fresh food production, especially meat, has become.

I think food production has always been "commercial", it has just become more industrial with much greater economies of scale over the last 40 years. That makes it LESS EXPENSIVE, and that's how most people make choices between products they know little else about, they make it based on price.

I'm not sure what you mean about "fresh food production" either. That cut of steak or chicken thigh is more or less prepared the same way it was by a 1920's butcher, although the animal is raised very differently.

One big difference is that they find ways to use animal by-products for other food items, in produced, processed, packaged food. Some of it is very ingenious. It's a bit like that barrel of crude oil, by the time you refine it, you end up using a bit of it for kerosene, some for paint thinners, some for deisel fuel, some for plastics and chemicals, and some for gasoline and jet fuel. Just think of that pig or cow or chicken as a barrel of crude oil, ripe for processing.

[martini]

Originally Posted by VicHockeyFan

I'm not sure what you mean about "fresh food production" either. That cut of steak or chicken thigh is more or less prepared the same way it was by a 1920's butcher, although the animal is raised very differently.

I think that would depend on the meat product you were consuming.
The local butcher is almost a bygone entity. Enter the meat processing plants.
Even at the local supermarkets...the butcher saw is gone and most meat is prepackaged on the mainland.
There is a vast difference between Canada and the U.S. as well as far as meat is concerned.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by VicHockeyFan

I think food production has always been "commercial", it has just become more industrial with much greater economies of scale over the last 40 years. That makes it LESS EXPENSIVE, and that's how most people make choices between products they know little else about, they make it based on price.

I'm not sure what you mean about "fresh food production" either. That cut of steak or chicken thigh is more or less prepared the same way it was by a 1920's butcher, although the animal is raised very differently.

One big difference is that they find ways to use animal by-products for other food items, in produced, processed, packaged food. Some of it is very ingenious. It's a bit like that barrel of crude oil, by the time you refine it, you end up using a bit of it for kerosene, some for paint thinners, some for deisel fuel, some for plastics and chemicals, and some for gasoline and jet fuel. Just think of that pig or cow or chicken as a barrel of crude oil, ripe for processing.

You're right, part of it is about how the animals are treated differently. How about corn fed cows that raises the rates of e-coli and ammonia cleansed chicken to be used as fillers for other meat food items?

It isn't purely about the food, either. Awful animal treatment, awful plant worker treatment, etc..

[North Shore]

Just think of that pig or cow or chicken as a barrel of crude oil, ripe for processing.

Ironic that you should say that... according to National Geographic, it takes ~ 3/4 of a barrel of oil to raise a pound of beef in the USA http://environment.nationalgeographi...ilforbeef.html

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by North Shore

Ironic that you should say that... according to National Geographic, it takes ~ 3/4 of a barrel of oil to raise a pound of beef in the USA http://environment.nationalgeographi...ilforbeef.html

I read that it takes something like 33 L of water to make one L of Coca Cola. Crazy stuff.

[phx]

Originally Posted by North Shore

Ironic that you should say that... according to National Geographic, it takes ~ 3/4 of a barrel of oil to raise a pound of beef in the USA http://environment.nationalgeographi...ilforbeef.html

Er, it's 3/4 of gallon, not barrel, per pound.