Thoughts after watching a food documentary

[bcla]

Grew up showing cattle (yep that's a thing) and visited many factory farms. A lot of these documentaries find the worse run farm of all of them and says that is how they all are run which is not the case. I buy meat from brands I trust. Sometimes that is through the co-op on freshdirect and other times the local product at our grocery store.

I mentioned the Harris Ranch feet lot. It's on I-5 near Coalinga, California and near their slaughtering facilities. The stench is just something else from over 10,000 cattle on about a square mile of land.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...3c15a227e86416!8m2!3d36.3055055!4d-120.258328

One of the most tasteless nicknames for the place compares it to Auschwitz. However, Temple Grandin has actually praised it as being one of the more humane of the large cattle companies in the country.

Ironically one of the better known of the "local" beef companies was a company that was previously known as Niman-Schell and later Niman Ranch. They weren't necessarily organic, but they developed relationships with restaurants that would name them as a supplier right on the menu item. We actually get a lot of those around here. However, the owner decided to get out of the business and today he speaks out against the practices of the current owner and set up a new small-time operation (which he just sold to Blue Apron).

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-bill-niman-cut-ties-with-niman-ranch-2014-2

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Have you seend Fat Head? The director eats nothing but fast food for a month, and loses 12 lbs.

No, but that's interesting.

 

[amberpi]

I'm thinking about taking up canning! Mrs. Homie and I are talking about starting a backyard "farm," complete with a compost bin and everything. There will be a yuge learning curve, though. And we'll have to buy the soil and grow out of rain barrels, like her dad does, since the ground in the backyard is poison to all but grass, trees, and weeds. But we'll get there.

My folks are super bougie, but they can the crap out of veggies. Or freeze. Its hard work, but worth it for quality. Right about now, I'd buy the crap outta some corn...

 

[amberpi]

Lol. I grew up with family that was like that, mostly the older generation. Totally took it for granted, too. I really didn't know how little most people know about farming or cooking until I moved away to college.

And now the people I know who can and cook from scratch are hipsters who have rediscovered the "art". Cracks me up.

Older, younger...it was political too for my fam. And now the usual politics of farmers. Not talking politics, I just grew up weird.

 

[bookgirl]

I just started watching Food, Inc. and it is horrible (in an eye opening way) so far! Has anyone else watched documentaries like this and ended up changing the way they eat because of it?

Nope they are shot for the Ultimate shock value and skewed to a POV. When I watch Documentarys I might go do some research on my own, but I don't watch them and suddenly decide to change my lifestyle.

As far as I'm concerned the more militant the POV the less credibility they have.

 

[amberpi]

Lol. I grew up with family that was like that, mostly the older generation. Totally took it for granted, too. I really didn't know how little most people know about farming or cooking until I moved away to college.

And now the people I know who can and cook from scratch are hipsters who have rediscovered the "art". Cracks me up.

I live with hipsters, they can't believe I can can peaches. The fact that there are different peaches (only some of which I'll can) is like a foreign language.

ETA: I live by myself, but my neighbors? Actually, they're sweet until they understand the labor.

 

[DaisyJ]

I agree with this, wholeheartedly. A local organic pig farmer sells some of his stuff (sausages, ground pork, pork chops) at a local gas station. It's delicious... and expensive as heck.

Unfortunately, I live in a land where it's impossible to grow much of anything, so "farming," in terms of grains, fruits, & veggies, doesn't happen much around here. What agriculture we have in Iron County is limited to livestock ranching. Not for nothing, someone down the road from me farms goats. GOATS! I can tell you confidently that the market for halal goat meat around here is non-existent.

My county has the most goat farms in our state. Here, they are raised for milk, not meat.

 

[DaisyJ]

I am trying to think of the word. I can't. But it's possible that your local farms have some kind of subscription program. Like milk and egg futures. I found out last year that the local farms do that. You "subscribe" and then you pick up your share at a central location, and sometimes they deliver to your house. I had no idea that was even a thing.

Anyway, you may want to ask around. There could be an entire farm goods delivery system right under your nose.

CSA

 

[wilkeliza]

I mentioned the Harris Ranch feet lot. It's on I-5 near Coalinga, California and near their slaughtering facilities. The stench is just something else from over 10,000 cattle on about a square mile of land.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...3c15a227e86416!8m2!3d36.3055055!4d-120.258328

One of the most tasteless nicknames for the place compares it to Auschwitz. However, Temple Grandin has actually praised it as being one of the more humane of the large cattle companies in the country.

Ironically one of the better known of the "local" beef companies was a company that was previously known as Niman-Schell and later Niman Ranch. They weren't necessarily organic, but they developed relationships with restaurants that would name them as a supplier right on the menu item. We actually get a lot of those around here. However, the owner decided to get out of the business and today he speaks out against the practices of the current owner and set up a new small-time operation (which he just sold to Blue Apron).

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-bill-niman-cut-ties-with-niman-ranch-2014-2

Of course I don't know that specific lit as I was in Texas but again not all feed lots are run the same.

Also to other poster know organic, grass fed, blah blah blah is all marketing. Organic doesn't mean it isn't just as harmful when it comes to pesticides on food. I know many farmers that come to the many farmers markets in NYC that are organic but can't say they are because they don't want to give money for what amounts to a government sticker. I don't shop the farmers market any more but when I did the families were always open to talking to people.

 

[bcla]

Of course I don't know that specific lit as I was in Texas but again not all feed lots are run the same.

Also to other poster know organic, grass fed, blah blah blah is all marketing. Organic doesn't mean it isn't just as harmful when it comes to pesticides on food. I know many farmers that come to the many farmers markets in NYC that are organic but can't say they are because they don't want to give money for what amounts to a government sticker. I don't shop the farmers market any more but when I did the families were always open to talking to people.

The thing about Harris Ranch is that it's right on the major route between Northern/Southern California and it's really hard to miss it or the smell. They have their feedlot right next to the freeway, their slaughter/processing facility a couple of miles away, and a signature restaurant just a few miles down the freeway. The smell never stopped me from going to their restaurant and eating. Their steak was really, really good.

I just went to a local farmers market today. And it was great because the owners of the farms were there to answer any questions about how they grow. I got full-length bunches of green onions for $1.50 a bunch. They were maybe around 2 ft long and uncut, which helps them stay fresher. They might have been less than uniform in size, but they were great. It was about as much as 6-7 bunches from a supermarket. They can tell you exactly what has been sprayed (I found out that they simply can't spray one of my favorites) and today I found out that one particular crop was grown in a greenhouse because it needed a lot of heat to grow better. It's not necessarily "organic" but I don't care. I get to know far more about what I'm buying even compared to a local (almost mythical) produce market where I can talk to any employee and find out what's good.

And yeah I get all that about "organic". There's a misperception that the label means no pesticides. It really means that any pesticides used are considered organic themselves, as in no synthetic chemicals but naturally occurring toxins are OK.

 

[LilyWDW]

I refuse to watch propaganda pieces like these.

Cherry picking the data and information that matches what they want the documentary to say. Sure, they find a study that says XYZ, but they will never tell you about the study that said ZYX. They have an agenda and that is what they are going to push. Period. No matter what.

 

[wilkeliza]

I refuse to watch propaganda pieces like these.

Cherry picking the data and information that matches what they want the documentary to say. Sure, they find a study that says XYZ, but they will never tell you about the study that said ZYX. They have an agenda and that is what they are going to push. Period. No matter what.

Yep. I have a friend currently sharing a lot about Keto diets and how eating that way makes it impossible to have cancer and that it would kill cancer if you ate that way. I know they are trying to justify their life changes but they don't realize how terrible it comes off to those of us who watched family memebers struggle for years battling rare cances and know there is 0 they could have done be it food, chemo, essential oils, whatever that would have saved them.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I agree with this, wholeheartedly. A local organic pig farmer sells some of his stuff (sausages, ground pork, pork chops) at a local gas station. It's delicious... and expensive as heck.

Unfortunately, I live in a land where it's impossible to grow much of anything, so "farming," in terms of grains, fruits, & veggies, doesn't happen much around here. What agriculture we have in Iron County is limited to livestock ranching. Not for nothing, someone down the road from me farms goats. GOATS! I can tell you confidently that the market for halal goat meat around here is non-existent.

There's a large Bosnian settlement in South STL where goat is VERY popular. They prefer to cook to outdoors & the truck drivers I talk to who pass through those neighborhoods say they hate it because no matter the time of day, they'll smell those pits going and it makes them hungry LOL

 

[rastahomie]

There's a large Bosnian settlement in South STL where goat is VERY popular. They prefer to cook to outdoors & the truck drivers I talk to who pass through those neighborhoods say they hate it because no matter the time of day, they'll smell those pits going and it makes them hungry LOL

Are the St. Louis Bosnians the Muslim kind or the Christian kind? I ask out of curiosity, not bigotry.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Are the St. Louis Bosnians the Muslim kind or the Christian kind? I ask out of curiosity, not bigotry.

I believe they are primarily Muslim.

 

[LilyWDW]

Yep. I have a friend currently sharing a lot about Keto diets and how eating that way makes it impossible to have cancer and that it would kill cancer if you ate that way. I know they are trying to justify their life changes but they don't realize how terrible it comes off to those of us who watched family memebers struggle for years battling rare cances and know there is 0 they could have done be it food, chemo, essential oils, whatever that would have saved them.

That stuff peeves me off to no end. Like they know better then the medical professionals whose lives revolve around finding a real cure for the disease. I lost my mom in 2013 to cancer. I lose my best friend and writing partner in 2016 to cancer. It made me so so angry when people would come up and tell me things that made the fight seem so casual and simple. Like "Just don't eat sugar because the cancer feeds off of it so you have to starve it." when all I wanted was for my mom to eat ANYTHING. A lot of people were lucky that I didn't punch them then and there for their stupid unwanted comments.

 

[MillauFr]

Would you trust the cameras? I'm not sure I would trust certain companies even if they gave me a personal factory tour.

A lot of the problem isn't even the processing. It's the source of the raw ingredients and the additives.

I have a dog with a lot of food allergies, so I've done a lot of research on dog food production. It's pretty much not regulated at all and it's horrific. And it's all out in the open too. I see stuff shared on Facebook all the time about the cheap food. Their dog gets poisoned and they feel the need to warn everyone but it's so sad- all they had to do was google the company before opening that can of food. Or even just look at the label. Dog food is like any other kind of processed food- if you can't pronounce or identify a whole bunch of the ingredients, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

I feel that any proposal that increases transparency is a good thing. When things are hidden in the darkness bad things happen.

 

[dosekies]

I'm really loving reading thru all of these responses! I ended up falling asleep before I finished it, but I think the thing that shocked me the most was that these 'farmers' are making chickens so big so fast that their legs and organs can't keep up so they can barely even stand. I've never been naive about where my food comes from and while I try to eat somewhat healthy foods, I definitely eat out sometimes and don't always eat the best of stuff. I just thought it was really interesting and something I never really thought about before. I just moved to an area that has a couple different farmers markets around and am really excited to start checking them out for their produce!

 

[bcla]

I'm really loving reading thru all of these responses! I ended up falling asleep before I finished it, but I think the thing that shocked me the most was that these 'farmers' are making chickens so big so fast that their legs and organs can't keep up so they can barely even stand. I've never been naive about where my food comes from and while I try to eat somewhat healthy foods, I definitely eat out sometimes and don't always eat the best of stuff. I just thought it was really interesting and something I never really thought about before. I just moved to an area that has a couple different farmers markets around and am really excited to start checking them out for their produce!

The breeding of domesticated animals has been going on for millennia. It's not like there's a competitive advantage to a bulldog's face or the size of a Chihuahua. That chicken was bred to be disposable. Modern domesticated turkeys have a lifespan of less than a year. They're top heavy and bred for excessive breast meat. I've heard that every year when the President "pardons" a couple of turkeys they typically live less than a year because they just don't survive.

However, if it really concerns you there are farms that raise heritage breeds that aren't bred to extremes. Strangely enough the ducks used for foie gras are probably healthier than most commercially raised poultry.

 

[Westcoastwild]

The breeding of domesticated animals has been going on for millennia. It's not like there's a competitive advantage to a bulldog's face or the size of a Chihuahua. That chicken was bred to be disposable. Modern domesticated turkeys have a lifespan of less than a year. They're top heavy and bred for excessive breast meat. I've heard that every year when the President "pardons" a couple of turkeys they typically live less than a year because they just don't survive.

However, if it really concerns you there are farms that raise heritage breeds that aren't bred to extremes. Strangely enough the ducks used for foie gras are probably healthier than most commercially raised poultry.

A lot of heritage breeds are genetically manipulated for other reasons. Plenty of chicken and rabbit breeds are not raised for meat. They're like dog breeds. My family's rabbits weren't raised for meat but I don't know if the life of a show rabbit is significantly better than the life of a meat rabbit.