We Can Change The System

Last night I was fortunate enough to be one of the 200 people attending the sold out screening of Fresh, The Movie at the Pequot Library in Southport, CT. The screening was brought to our small state thanks to Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide.

I won’t bore you with yet another review of this movie. There are plenty out there: EcoSalon, Cheeseslave, and Fair Food Fight, among others. However, I do want to share what I think is the biggest take-away message of the film: The industrialized food system is broken but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

This movie featured creative individuals devoted to producing food differently. Their determination is inspiring and, you know, it’s working. Agri-business will try to convince you that their way is the only way to “feed the world”. Nope. I don’t believe it for a minute. These successful sustainable farmers are proof otherwise.

The movie also featured farmers who have become a part of the “industrialized” system, but it did not demonize these hard working folks. These farmers are not the enemy. They had to do what they had to do in order to sustain themselves and their families. In many cases it didn’t feel like much of a choice. Sign up or close down. That’s not much of a choice.

As a nation, we need to rethink what and how we eat. We need to make some real changes. Fresh made me feel that if people put their minds to it – change is possible!