Review: Food Inc.

Anyone that goes to Epic for even a short period of time will find out pretty quickly that we are quite the "foodie" conglomerate. Some of our most intimate interactions happen over lunch, house church potlucks, or a weekend dinner. We all enjoy a good meal, but more often than not don't really think about its origin, nor do we often prefer to.

Looking into the faults of our food system can seem like opening up a bottomless can of worms that is ultimately hopeless. Just about everything is wrong with it, so why even bother trying to fix it? Robert Kenner's documentary Food Inc. presents a wealth of starting points without overwhelming its audience with the multiple problems we can face when we walk into a grocery store or restaurant just trying to find a decent, affordable meal.

While I could attempt to rehash the film, I'd like to share a review written by one of my long-time journalism icons, Mary F. Pols, who can identify with those folks that may be a little sick and tired of hearing that doom is lurking around the corner if they eat a hamburger: Find Review Here.

I promise I am not pushing you all to go see this film just because I am "one of those vegetarians." It's really important to evaluate how our food choices affect the environment, our health, and the access our impoverished neighbors have to healthy choices. You shouldn't have to be middle class to be able to buy organic or get decent health education. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the film was the story of a low-income immigrant family that faces the harsh reality that a fast-food hamburger is cheaper than a couple of apples. Guys, we need to take better care of each other, especially with something as simple as food. This movie is an easy place to start doing some research and learning how we can vote with the contents of our shopping carts for a more transparent food system that provides greater, healthier resources to Americans of every ethnicity, age and socioeconomic level.

- And if you want to watch a film that hits this point home right in our Los Angeles backyard, check out the documentary "The Garden." Just ask me if you want to borrow it sometime. :)