Sustainable Seafood with Slow Food Boston

This Sunday, as part of their 3rd annual Winter Film Series, Slow Food Boston will be offering a screening of The End of the Line, a documentary that explores the many complex issues surrounding seafood consumption. From environmental impacts, to mercury levels, to the people whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans, the film promises to be an informative look at a complicated web of relationships. The film will be followed by a panel discussion including Jacqueline Church, founder of Teach a Man to Fish; Heather Tausig, director of conservation at the New England Aquarium; and Niaz Dorry, and activist who works with groups like Cape Ann Fresh Catch.

If you're a die hard Saints fan (or a fan of that other team), not to worry. The screening is at 3:30--perfect timing for a dose of good-for-you food knowledge before you head home to enjoy the game...and probably some not-so-good-for-you snacks.

Click here for directions and details!

A Wintertime Treat: Growing in the Concrete Jungle

As we Bostonians brace ourselves for the longest, coldest months of the year, Slow Food Boston is offering a welcome bright spot with the beginning of their Winter Film Series next Sunday: a screening of HomeGrown, the story of a family who managed to grow 6,000 pounds of produce on less than 1/4 acre of land in downtown Pasadena. As always, the movie will be followed by a panel discussion to expand on the ideas presented in the film, including Lisa Gross, founder of the Urban Homesteaders' League, and Jess Liborio of The Food Project. For just a $5 donation to Slow Food you can reserve your spot, which I would say is quite the bargain--after all, when was the last time you got to see a movie for less than $10? Much less donate your money to a great organization and participate in a stimulating conversation? Click here to reserve your tickets for the 3:30 showing. Hope to see you there!

Other upcoming film topics include the complexities of seafood consumption and the fight for healthy school lunches. Click here to see the full series schedule.

Saying No to GMOs

You may have seen the tongue-in-cheek commercials for Hulu, the internet website where you can watch as much tv as your little heart can handle. They'll "turn your chunky gray matter into creamy goo matter" with so much TV they say, in an "evil plot to destroy the world." These ads, of course, strike preemptively at critics who might say that television rots your brain, and that collecting so much of it on line would do so even faster. Whichever side you fall on in that debate, I'd argue it's worth paying the website a visit; right now on Hulu you can watch the full-length documentary, The Future of Food, absolutely free of charge. Somehow I missed the release of this film in 2004, but its arguments about genetically engineered products are no less relevant today, and I was thoroughly delighted to discover it amidst countless episodes of Family Guy and Top Chef.

Although it gets off to a bit of a slow start, The Future of Food centers around one compelling question: what does it mean for the future of our food supply, indeed the future humanity, that we've allowed corporations to place patents on life? The film offers a view of genetic engineering in our food system that is both broad and deep. It covers the threat that huge monocultures pose to our food security, as well as the actual and potential consequences of pesticide resistance and antibiotic resistance in GE crops. Not to mention the vast unknowns related to how consumption of these products affects human health. And, as in Food, Inc., there are stories of individual farmers who've been sued by Monsanto, for the accidental but inevitable cross-pollination of patented seed into the fields that they've been farming for decades. The film also examines the international consequences of the choices that the United States is making regarding GE crops, including the contamination of many heirloom varieties of corn in Mexico, varieties that aren't just part of that country's food supply, but of its cultural heritage.

The web of potential consequences is more than a little anxiety provoking, and perhaps most frightening of all is the existence of "terminator technology," or "suicide genes," about a dozen of which had already been patented when the film was made. These genes ensure that, after one growth cycle, a plant will essentially self-destruct, rendering its seed sterile and unusable for any future planting. For such genes to cross-contaminate with crops here and around the world would be devastating in ways we can't begin to imagine. As one researcher stated in the film, we run the risk of surrounding ourselves with "green desserts," wherein everything looks the same, but is being transformed from the inside, and could be wiped out at any moment.

Thankfully, the film ends with a reminder that, just as there has been a revolution in the industrialization of our food supply, there is a rapidly growing counter-revolution in the form of CSAs, organic and family farming, and many other ways in which consumers are choosing sustainable, planet-friendly food sources. In addition to speaking with our wallets, there are many ways that we can and should get involved to stop the unregulated, untested spread of genetically engineered crops into our food supply. One of the most important changes that needs to take place is a labeling system that lets consumers know when a product is genetically engineered or contains GE ingredients; after all, if we don't know where GE products are, we can't choose not to buy them. For a comprehensive list of organizations working on these issues, visit the "Get Involved" section of the film's website. Whether you donate to an activist group, volunteer for one in your community, sign an internet petition, or write to Congress, it's more important than ever to make our voices heard on this issue. The future of our food supply depends on it.

To watch The Future of Food on Hulu, click here.

Photo courtesy of Jaako, Flickr Creative Commons

Coming Soon (tomorrow!) to a Theater Near You...

Earlier this week, thanks to the lovely folks at Edible Boston magazine, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of Food, Inc. at the Kendall Square Theater. The film, a documentary directed by Robert Kenner, presents a remarkably comprehensive picture of the troubles plaguing our current food system. Although the cast of characters and issues are familiar to many of us (Monsanto, factory farms, and corrupt government officials on one side; Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin, and public seed on the other), Kenner has put the pieces together in a clear, concise manner that makes it easy to understand these very complex issues. He has also done a remarkable job of illuminating the human suffering that results from our current food system, a subject that often takes a back seat to the animal suffering involved. There are long-time farmers being forced to pay for patented seed or face a lawsuit, undocumented workers being treated as a disposable work force, and families all across the country who want to make better food choices for their children but can't afford to when broccoli costs five times as much as a two liter of soda.

The film is informative without being preachy or sensational, and will surely strike a chord with many, many viewers, including those who aren't as familiar with these issues. It also reminds us that we do have tremendous power as consumers, and that every dollar we spend sends a message to the farmers and companies involved, as well as our government. Choosing locally raised chicken during one trip to the grocery store may feel insignificant, but the cumulative effect of these small personal choices sends big messages to the decision-makers in this system; even Walmart, the biggest player of them all, made all of their milk hormone free based on consumer choices.

Whether you're new to the sustainable food movement or you think you've heard it all before, this is a movie that we all need to see. It is both convincing and inspiring, and will hopefully serve as a much needed vehicle for growing the grass roots movement required to effect real change.

So get out there this weekend and head to the theater! Then visit their website to find out what you can do to create a food system that's healthy for our bodies, our minds, and our planet.

(For theaters and showtimes near you, click here!)