Has anyone watched "Food Inc."?

[natale1980]

I just finished watching it and I want to change what my family eats. The only problem is I have to figure out how to afford it.

-nat

 

[MulanUSAF]

I watched it last night and was astounded at some of the things I learned. Here are a few things I'll start doing:

-Buy more from local farmer's markets for in season vegetables; same goes for local farmer's free range eggs and organic cheese if the prices are reasonable.

-Avoid fast food, instead, pack my own lunch and snacks when I go out. I figured this way I will save money in the long run, and that means I can buy higher quality foods.

-I'm going to try growing some more fruits and vegetables this spring and see how that turns out. I had an upside down tomato grower last summer that supplied me with more yummy tomatoes than I can eat. The taste was sooo much better than store bought ones. I don't have a big yard or anything, but many plants grow well in containers. Home Depot 5 gallon buckets with a few holes drilled on the bottom for drainage makes great plant containers for growing most veggies.

-Shop more at stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's rather than large chain supermarkets. Prices at Trader Joe's for organic stuff is a lot cheaper than what I find at chain stores and Whole Foods.

-Organic/local foods may cost more when you pay the grocery bill, but long term health cost for diseases like diabetes (of which I just recently became a member of the club that no one wants to join), heart diseases and cancer are much much higher. So I see it this way, scrimping and saving a few bucks here and there doesn't add up to the $$$$$ a few nights of hospital stay will cost (or the cost of prescription drugs for chronic conditions). Buying less non-essential stuff like new clothes and shoes, electronic gadgets, or eating out in restaurants will give me the extra $ I need to buy better foods for my health.

Oh, if you want to watch the trailer for "Food Inc", here is the link http://www.hulu.com/watch/70823/movie-trailers-food-inc

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

It is a good movie. I think the key is to reassess your budget. Just like in the movie, they mentioned that we used to account for more of our salary going for food. So, it may take cutting some things out of other budgets to get things to work. Produce, etc. at places like Whole Foods is going to be crazy expensive in most cases, so going to a local Farmer's Market makes more sense or planting your own garden and then flash freezing any extras or making sauces, etc. will also help keep costs lower. I would suggest finding a gardening guide specific to the area you live in. I have one for Georgia that goes by month and it suggests the types of produce you can grow successfully in the region, things to keep in mind, and what month you should plant it in. Also, consider pairing with neighbors or friends when buying things like meat. A lot of my friends were inspired to turn vegan after the film. Not me! We buy our beef, chicken and pork from a local Butcher that gets them from a local farm that has free range animals. If you have the freezer space, consider buying a whole cow or half a cow and split it with others. You may spend a lot more up front, but you end up saving so much and the meat is so much better than the grocery store IMO. Switching my buying habits only increased my Grocery Store bill by $50 a month which I was easily spending on Fast Food. I still have to have my Chick-Fil-A from time to time (and I don't think that they use organic chickens or free range ones) because it is so good. If only I could replicate that, I would probably save more money!!

That movie was an eye opener! But, we all should have known better!

 

[Stephanator]

FYI - If you liked Food Inc, along the same genre is a documentary called King Corn that is very interesting and informative as well.

http://www.kingcorn.net/

Great tips for buying better within your budget above!

 

[natale1980]

Big Surprise... I've been eating better and now I feel better
I work at Whole Foods, so I get 20% off all my purchases there. That helps out, but I need to go over to Trader Joes to pick some things up.

-nat

 

[redlawyer]

The rule in our house, since seeing the movie and reading Michael Pollan's book the Omnivore's Dilemma, if my 8yr old can't read the ingredient list we don't buy it. When the kids start whining for cookies and such at the store, they have to read the ingredients. Even they start to wonder what that stuff is. Thats not to say we don't eat cookies. We do, probably too much. But what we eat is made at home with organic eggs, butter etc. I can't control what they eat when they are not at home, so at home we try to eat "real food" Who knew corn syrup was in ketchup?? How about peanut butter?? Not me. And I've even found foods that list corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as two separate ingredients. In the summer we go to the farmer's market and the farms that let you pick your own. I freeze or make jelly out of the fruit. Again with sugar, not corn syrup.