Sounds like a simple question, but after watching the documentary film, “Food, Inc.,” I’ve learned the answer can be quite complex. The film explains how radically our food system has changed over the last 50 years and alleges that it’s now controlled by a handful of very powerful corporations and our government, influencing just about everything we put in our mouths.

Covering a myriad of topics, the documentary touches on the mass production of livestock, particularly beef and chicken, and the laws surrounding genetically modified seeds and how they’ve changed farming practices and the foods we eat. Particularly alarming to me was the film’s assertion that the cost of commodity crops (like corn, soybeans and wheat) is kept artificially low by government subsidies. While that doesn’t seem like it could ever be a negative, the filmmakers describe the trickle-down effect this can have over the cost of food and our food choices. Just think, corn, soybeans and wheat are some of the most commonly found ingredients in junk food.

So what can you do as a consumer if these topics are important to you? The first step is to get informed–do your own legwork and find out about the food you eat, where it comes from and how it is produced; contact your grocer and food manufacturers. Or cut out the middleman and buy from local farmers so you can ask them directly how they produce the food you’re buying.

I especially like what the filmmakers suggest at the end of the movie: Every time a food item passes the grocery store’s scanner, you’re voting for the type of food, farms and society you want to support. We each have an opportunity to vote three times a day, when we eat. How will you vote?

Peggy Woodward

Food Editor, Healthy Cooking