Scary Food

This whole train of thought that I have been possessed with regarding the food industry in general has suddenly become a lot more sinister. I'm really not sure how I can incorporate all these threads into a 25 minute film, it would make a cool feature perhaps? Any suggestions?

While I am intrigued at the efforts of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to put real food in front of British kids, it is an article in the New Zealand Listener that really has me salivating. Taking convenience food to a whole new level, scientists are perfecting ways to give vegetables an indefinite shelf life and in a move destined to detach food even further from its origins, scientists have developed a way to match the chemical composition of food with an individual's genetic make-up? As if giant food corporations didn't already exercise a massive amount of control over our lives! Enjoyment and pleasure in consuming food seem to be taken as a thing of the past. Thankfully, pockets of consumers are resisting the drive towards 'dinner in a pill' embracing the wonderful slow food movement.

Surely the best decisions for food corporations are hastening the onset of diet-related illnesses. In a clever article written in the new scientist, Anna Lappe argues that "we are the first species to turn our food supply into one of the biggest threats to our health." As if this depressing information was not enough, I was fortunate enough to catch an insightful program on the radio at the weekend detailing the toxic threat that seems to be omnipresent. We can't escape. Please download the podcast on environmental pollution and listen for yourselves.

On a slightly more positive note, American writer Michael Pollan has an extremely insightful six rules for eating that summarise a lot of my thinking concerning food:

1. Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food.
2. Avoid foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.
3. Spend more, eat less
4. Ignore nutritional science and health claims on packaging.
5. Shop at the farmers market.
6. Eat moderate portions, don't have seconds or snack between meals, enjoy your food.