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THE MEAL TICKET INTERVIEW: Robert Kenner, director of Food, Inc.
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THE MEAL TICKET INTERVIEW: Robert Kenner, director of Food, Inc.
Food, Inc., director Robert Kenner's exploration of America's hidden food-production system, opens tomorrow, June 19, in Philadelphia. (See Cindy Fuchs' review.) The award-winning director even has a local connection, having attended the Solebury School in Bucks County.� "It's great to see the whole food scene that has evolved here," said Kenner. "There was nothing like it when I was here." Meal Ticket sat down with the filmmaker last week, when he visited the South Street Whole Foods, to talk about Food, Inc., and what we are really eating.
Meal Ticket: What was the inspiration behind this film? Did you have some kind of motivating personal experience?
Robert Kenner:� It wasn't really that. I was just curious, you know, to find out where our food comes from. An interesting exploration. I wanted to talk to all the different producers of our food system, and I found out agribusiness did not want to talk. Not only could I not see into their kitchens, they didn't want to speak to me at all. I was a threat. They don't want us to know where our food comes from. Food has fundamentally been transformed without us seeing it, or thinking about it. What we realized was that there is a movement percolating � we didn't know about it until we got out there.� It's going to take a movement to change things.
MT: One thing that really stood out to me in the movie was the statement, "It's not a tomato, but the notion of a tomato," and that there are only 12 slaughterhouses in the U.S. that are processing almost all of the beef eaten in this country.
RK: It is the notional tomato. It is flavorless, of course, and practically devoid of nutrients. It's just an idea of a tomato. Did you know that there is a major purchase about to go through that will make the four major meat processors into three? Those three will control 80 percent of the market. It's total consolidation. There are aisles and aisles of things in the supermarket, but they all come from the same corporations. We are offered the illusion of choice. Everything is owned by the same people. It's an Orwellian transformation that has been hidden from us.
MT: In the film, you show a family that eats from the dollar menu at fast-food restaurants because they cannot afford whole foods in the supermarket. Do you think there is a disconnect between the middle and upper classes, who can afford to question where there food comes from, and the poor, who have to eat just to exist?
RK: Money is a concern. The Baldwin Park family was spending $400-$500 per month on medications [for the father's diabetes and blood pressure]. This low-cost food comes to us at a very high cost. You don't see the real price at the checkout. This is the future of health care ... you can't have health care reform and still have this food system. Listen, one out of two minority individuals has diabetes.� To say that poor people can't afford good food is ridiculous ... these corporations, subsidized by the federal government, are selling food to low-income people that makes them sick.
MT:� Do you think the Obama administration is interested in reforming the American food system?
RK: We screened the film for them ... the heads of the FDA and USDA, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.� There is interest in this administration, but they didn't come into office with that interest. They want to reform health care, and you can't change health care or the environment without changing the food system. Twenty to 25 percent of oil used in this country goes into the production, growing and transportation of food. The intensive raising of food pollutes water, the earth ... it exploits animals and human workers. What is the human cost? This food system cannot continue. It's unsustainable and it's going to end. We need to figure out a different system.
MT: What can the average consumer do?
RK: This film is meant to be empowering. It's a film for the non-converted; I want to turn minds, not stomachs. We can change the system two ways, on two levels. On the personal level, we vote three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. We can shop at farmers markets and support our local farmers. When that is not practical, we can buy local and organic at the supermarket. You can encourage your market to increase the amount of local and organic produce they carry. When consumers started telling Wal-Mart to remove rBST [recombinant bovine somatotropin] from their milk, they listened. Consumers should also read labels and buy less processed food. Don't buy things made with words you can't pronounce.
On another level, you can influence government. The tobacco analogy is the best one � really powerful, wealthy corporations were lying and putting out false information about the safety of their products. Ultimately we were able to fight them and get these products labeled as dangerous. The Web site TakePart.com has a list of organizations you can join, like Slow Food.
Things will change when people know what is in their food and we get the right information. At some point, we have to turn the Farm Bill into the Food Bill to benefit consumers. We need a movement to make this happen. I believe it will be mothers with young children who will lead it. This will become like the civil rights movement. This is a major issue, and so much is building at this moment that we are a part of. Some person, some event will set it off, like Rosa Parks.
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I am so thrilled this movie has gotten national distribution - it's an absolute must see for anyone who is concerned about protecting their families from the disasterous food industry. Mr. Kenner is right about changing food policy, health care, although it should be called, 'sick care,' and that mothers are going to be the leaders in this movement. I am a mother of a young child, and I am mad as hell! Since I became pregnant with my daughter, I have assumed my role as the food detective very seriously to ensure that my family not only consumes nutritious meals, but is protected from Big Agriculture! I boycotted conventional grocery stores a while ago and choose to drive to 3 different markets to shop and yes, I do spend more $ on our food, because those are my values, but guess what? I can pronounce 99% of everything we eat. Yes, some things do come in a box - it's practically unavoidable, but thank goodness the industry is responding to an ever growing demand for quality. Philly is responding too, with the wonderful work The Food Trust and White Dog Community Enterprises are doing! But there is a ton of work to be done. As consumers, we have to WAKE UP and demand better!I was so inspired to get involved in this movement that I enrolled in The Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a Health Counselor and help families wean off junk food, empower them with knowledge, and live a healthier existence. This film will become a permanent tool to lead workshops and counseling sessions, so for that I say, Thank You!! Sandra Emmanouilides, HHC www.wholehealthcircle.com
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