I'm disabled (CFS) with very limited income. And because of my fatigue, I don't have the energy to cook.

But I DO want to eat healthfully and I DON'T want to support unethical businesses.

What are some suggestions for people like me?

(I already don't eat meat)

Thanks for bringing this up. I feel I've been political about what I eat for a decade now. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of all of the vast amount of ways that food is political. It will be nice to have one source that gathers together this information for people to learn about what we consume.

I'm a pescatarian ("vegetarian" who eats fish, too) who does her best to stay away from processed foods. I live in an apartment, but have a very small garden (tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs) on my balcony. I love famer's markets, but have a very limited income, so can't afford them often. I try to avoid food products from certain companies and do what I can to support local produce and goods.

The way I eat is absolutely a part of my activism. I just wish there were more sources available to the public at large about the ways in which food is produced and how to best purchase, grow, and consume food that isn't harmful.

After watching this movie (just last week), my girlfriend and I renewed our commitment to going local/small/organic whenever possible within our means. We also decided to make the step to finally become vegetarians (except when we can find 'happy/sustainable' meat).

The biggest challenge, so far, (besides having access to these options - we do not live in a large city) is how to explain it to our friends and family (especially family) in a way that is not accidentally hurtful.

While this is the best choice for us, (and we're privileged to be able to make it) we understand it isn't possible or right for everyone, and we by no means think any less of our families for eating the way they do. We understand where they're coming from (it's where we came from, too!) but we've been moving in this direction gradually for a long while now.

But when they ask us "why," it's hard to say "Because we don't want to support a big food industry that is harming the earth and our local communities" without sounding judgmental. Does anyone who's already gone this route have advice on how to talk about it in a way that is honest but not unintentionally hurtful?

I've been a pescatarian for about a year now (I only eat fish every few months so i think of myself as a vegetarian, but it's technically not true) because of concerns over the resources used in meat production, and an increasing concern over the nature of factory farming. In addition, my fiance and I shop at a neighborhood co-op (we used to go to Whole Foods when we lived nearby) and try to buy organic, locally-grown food when possible. We also frequent vegetarian/vegan, eco-conscious restaurants (living in New York City definitely helps this cause! It was much harder in New Jersey). I'd like to eat less processed food, whether organic or not, and cook more things from scratch - I enjoy it and have the time. The problem, of course, is cost, and I'd rather at least choose something organic/fair-trade even if it is pre-packaged, if it saves a little money. Still, I consider eating part of my activism and I'm always striving to be a more conscious consumer.

I've been vegan for 6 years now (since I was 13), and I have slowly manoeuvred my family of three into more local and organic shopping. Now that I'm in college, my food choices are not as perfect as they could be (though my university does source an ever increasing amount of the food it serves to Oklahoma growers).

I'm home for the summer which means we're back to about 50/50 on the local/organic versus conventional/industrial. We get most of our produce from the farmer's market, but fresh fruit comes almost solely from the supermarket until watermelons, cantaloupes, apples, and/or pears are in season.

I've been slow to realise how privileged this choice is - but I don't think we should forget that we spend a smaller percentage of our income (on average, as a nation) than we did 50 years ago. I believe this means that a lot of people *can* afford to eat this way, but don't due to lack of education and/or laziness.

Did the movie talk about the global ramifications of organic versus non-organic foods/farming practices? Because I'm very interested in that controversy. As a side-ish note: did you know that if the world only produced organic foods, with no genetically modified organisms being grown and eaten, that Earth could only support 2/3 of the global population? But then, most GMOs are one-time-use only and for a farmer to gamble on buying a year's supply of GMO seeds could ruin his/her entire career. It's an interesting problem.

I'm vegan, cook most of my meals from scratch (I find premade meals to be either nutritionally bad for you or expensive anyway), eat locally when possible and while I'm pretty broke and trying really hard to get back on my feet, I support my local Food Not Bombs chapter and hope to volunteer with them once I get everything back to normal. I also eat organic when possible, some things are a bit too expensive (like organic olive oil...YIKES!) but soy products must be organic, and thankfully its pretty cheap.

Hopefully when I'm done university, get a job and can afford a home, I'll be able to start a home garden as well. I hope also one day to open a farm animal sanctuary, where animals saved from slaughter can live, people can come and see them and we can educate them on the harms of animal products. If I can't ever afford to do that, I'll at least take in as many farm animals I can.

I'm a vegetarian. I'd love to eat more farmer's market foods, but I'm pretty poor, and I live in an apartment, so there's no room to garden, and the lighting isn't even good enough to grow indoor herbs. One day!

Although I have to admit that I'm still VERY skeptical of the supposed benefits of organic foods. AFIAK they're pretty much a dead-end, because there's no good way to run an organic farm that's even anywhere near efficient enough to sustain a large population.

Also, organically raised animals do not frolic in endless green pastures.

I usually use Boston Organics, which delivers organic fruits and vegetables to my apartment, but cancel during the summer, when I cook less and try to hit the farmers markets more. They have a local box (ONLY products in season from New England), which I may look into when I join back up. The closest market to me also has a meat vendor, so I can get sausage to keep in my freezer for soups and rice dishes and leaf lard for baking.
I am also looking into signing up to have my compost picked up. I don't garden (black thumb), but I hate to see all my food scraps go to waste. There appears to be an organization in my area that will provide a bucket for you, and empty it weekly. I've read about other cities that will pick up your compost with your recycling, so hopefully this trend will pick up.

Honestly, for me, I'm still working on eating period. I didn't grow up learning to cook very many things. I moved out of my parents' house very early and at that point I was on my own, eating dumpster food and cheap things. Add to that being a baby ballerina and other issues and food at all for me has been very difficult. I am still working out how I can feed myself, very literally. In some ways, this organic food trend freaks me out worse -- it's one more axis I can worry about what I am putting into my body, if it is good or bad, if the expense is worth the value, does it mean I am bad for eating "inorganic" food, et cetera.

Obviously, I have issues here. I am curious about how this connects to this social justice stuff -- not where I usually see it, which is in feminist critiques of disordered eating/needs for control/body issues, but through a food justice lens. What does it mean when food symbolizes things OTHER than nourishment? Is it a good idea for food justice work to focus on "healthy" food and "unhealthy" food? What are the ways in which this organic food movement connects to fatphobic messaging?

I would be interested in what other ppl who have "food issues" have to say about this stuff, and their reactions to the organic food/local food movement. I disengage because it hits too many buttons for me, but I don't think that's the only way.

Check out this article in yesterday's NYT magazine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/magazine/05allen-t.html?hpw

I haven't seen Food Inc, but i've read Michael Pollan. He definitely made me think, and I try to eat local and sustainable as much as possible, it's just not always feasible. I really admired the farmer described in this article, who is doing amazing things, without being dogmatic.

I haven't seen the film yet (I will), but for a highly entertaining book on the perils of meat, I recommend "My Year of Meats" by Ruth L. Ozeki. It is often hilarious, while still addressing many feminist issues. There is a good review at http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/my_year_of_meats.html

Jews have known this for a long time. When you stop to think how important it is for a just and healthy society to know which foods they are eating, who prepared it, how the animal was killed, and who is certifying that it was all done a certain way, then it doesn't seem like such a stretch to think that God may have actually commanded the Jews to follow a strict diet. Keeping kosher is an ethical decision as well as a religious one, but it is still one that most people make fun of because it's "archaic health laws." But it's a great way to know every link in the food chain.

We participate in a CSA, buy organic at grocery, buy local when possible. It's much harder in a supershort growing season, Monsanto controlled (even the Farmer's markets are run by factory farming bullies, who will not let in new [especially not organic] growers) area of the country. However, we have a burgeoning group of local food supporters.

I'm a vegetarian and try to buy organic when it's available. For cheese, eggs, and more processed things, I go to the local organic food co-op.

This isn't really food related, but it's consumer-responsibility related: I also buy cruelty-free beauty products.

Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" is another book that covers a lot of these issues. It tells of her family's year spent eating local-only foods, and is filled with tips and recipes for sustainable eating. It is also quite beautifully written. I am just graduated from college and will be joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in August -- the Kingsolver book was actually on our list of recommended reading before orientation. During their year of service, members of JVC pledge to live simply and sustainably on the very limited food stipend we are supplied. I am looking forward to trying to eat sustainably and locally on a vary small budget and working with my JV housemates to do so. Hopefully I will emerge from the experience with a lot of new insight on how to do so even without much income!

In the meantime, I am privileged enough to live in a suburban area with a temperate climate and a big yard where my parents have quite the garden growing. Our record isn't perfect, but each night we try to have one part of our meal that is purely from the garden -- our arugula, lettuce and cucumbers have yielded some lovely salads. Can't wait for the tomatoes to ripen!

I was able to find a meat CSA in my area. We get 10 pounds of meat per month and, aside from the occasional seafood, don't purchase any other meat. Getting my meat from a small farm where animals are raised humanely and allowed to eat a natural diet has helped put my mind at ease. The meat CSA was sort of the last piece of the puzzle as I was already buying locally produce and eschewing processed foods.

Just wanted to point out that buying at farmer's markets is not always expensive. The Nashville Farmer's Market offers produce at a lower price than the local grocery stores.

I'm vegetarian and I raise my own chickens for eggs. That sounds hard, but it really isn't. If you have a yard, you can raise chickens. They will eat your scraps, meaning less trash and in return for scraps + some feed and water, you will get fresh eggs. Check out backyardchickens.com for more information.
Joan

I live on a 3 acre farmette, so we have chickens for free-range, drug-free eggs and a HUGE garden. We canned 40 qts of tomato sauce last year--we'll just be finishing it up when it's time to can the new batch. Besides 'maters we have all sorts of herbs, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, chilies, bell peppers, potatoes, peas, beans, sunchokes, onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, fennel bulbs, mushrooms, watermelons. We're not rich but our landlords have no idea what they *should* be charging for rent. :)

I'm in a similar situation to yours. We have access to several farmers markets, and even one that runs through the winter. We have a garden. We do most of our shopping at a retail food co-op and an organic food store, both of which source locally when they can. And at this point, we can afford to shop there.

My partner and I have been concerned about food sustainability for a long time. It's heartening to see how much the local and organic food movements have grown in our area over that past several years. But it's still true that many people either cannot or will not go in this direction. I have not yet seen Food Inc., but I recently saw two European documentaries about factory farming. Raising awareness is key.

Our family doesn't buy too much that's specifically organic, but we are very committed to as much in season and local produce as possible. We are experimenting with gardening this year since my spouse's employer has a large organic community garden that they divvy up to interested emloyees so we're trying with zucchini, peppers, acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and tomatoes. We also have a little herb garden on our deck which has been very productive - our cilantro went crazy and we made a few meals of cilantro pesto.

And you've probably also read about my OMGheartsandstars love affair with my slow cooker upthread. Lots of yummy vegetarian dishes with dump it and plug it in ease. We eat meat occasionally, but primarily prefer vegetarian meals.

Another thing related to this topic - food waste is a big pet peeve of mine. We work really hard to throw out as little as possible, which means weekend breakfasts are often some sort of random baked good that incorporates whatever tail end of the weekly food supply is borderline over-ripe. I try to be very conscious of my level of consumption on this front.

One last thing - I'm trying my hand at foraging a bit ... I discovered a huge patch of blackberries behind my house this weekend and harvested enough to make blackberry shortbread and blackberry muffins, with plenty more ripening on the bush. Delicious, seasonal, FREE.

I live in the heart of a major american city, but we're fortunate to have a great backyard with southern exposure, good soil and drainage.

We've had chickens for about five years now, as Joan stated above, they're super-inexpensive and easy to raise. They turn vegetable scraps, garden bugs and weeds into the best eggs I have ever tasted. We've also got a huge backyard garden with tomatoes, squash, herbs, kale, potatoes, eggplant, the list goes on.

I also get a CSA box every week, the cost, when averaged over the summer, comes out to be way cheaper than when I was going to the local co-op.

It does take time to weed, garden and prepare food from scratch, luckily I live in a shared home where these tasks are a lot easier when spread between several people.

With all the above, I manage to eat about 95% local (my coffee, some grains, cooking oils, and citrus being the exceptions), I'm a meat eater and my income puts me just above the poverty line.

However, the luxury I do have is space; the garden; the chickens; our deep-freezer where we store sustainably raised meat, all require space, sunlight and a flexible landlord. So in that sense we're pretty wealthy, and what I do is probably not feasible for many people.

I work at a non-profit dedicated to sustainability in Montana, and so food and how/where it's grown/raised is a big part of my life. A few years ago we were able to get our Farmer's Market to issues tokens in exchange for Food Stamps so that locals could purchase produce, butter and some meats from other local growers. Also, a great way to purchase locally grown meats is to go in on a cow/buffalo/deer or what have you with friends from a butcher or smokehouse. A side of beef can run pretty cheaply when split amongst a few friends, and it's far easier to store when you just have bits.

One option that I imagine will be unpopular: hunting.

While I know that many people have oppositions, hear me out. Hunting provides organic, inexpensive, free-range meat to people, and it comes from a necessary practice.

Because deer no longer have natural predators (not enough bears, cougars, etc. in many parts of the country), deer can reproduce more than they would in a naturally controlled ecosystem. As a result, there is often a shortage of food in the winter that can result in many deer starving to death. If not for hunting, many deer would starve or have to be euthanized by Fish & Wildlife every year (which would also cost additional $$). (And, for the record, shooting an animal in the head is a pretty humane way to die. I mean, compared to the alternatives. Besides, that's how Fish & Wildlife do it in many parts.) Hunting allows that same meat to provide totally organic, free-range, lean meat to families at a low cost. Having grown up on deer meat and my family's garden, I can say it's the most eco-friendly, healthy, affordable way for many people to get enough meat to feed their families at an affordable cost, all while providing a service that the government would have to do anyhow.

And I'M NOT SAYING that you have to agree with hunting, but that it does provide this option for many families who otherwise would endure great financial difficulty to get the same amount of meat, much less the same amount of healthy, unfarmed meat.

no! it's not labor intensive. i just soak the rice cooker pan overnight in water and it all washes out instantly the next day. and that's it!

Oh goodness. This is a HUGE cause for me. I'm always looking at ways to get healthy foods to be more affordable for lower-income people... I think it's absolutely ridiculous that processed, non-organic, non-local foods cost less than whole, organic, local foods. A lot of this has to do with crop subsidies, which is another comment for another day.

On an individual basis, I tend towards the most eco-friendly, local foods. I'm a poor starving college student, so cost is an issue for me. Lately, I've noticed that soymilk and certain brands of fake meats have gone down in price, so I'm trying to buy some each time I go shopping to encourage the price drop/sales. I've also been a vegetarian for 6 years, so my food choices, by default, tend to be more eco-friendly. Finally, I'm attempting to grow a fall vegetable garden at my house (I live with my parents) to protest subsidized foods and become more self-sustainable.

Question to fellow eco-conscious shoppers: Is Starbucks "green" or not? I've heard conflicting info.

wondering if anyone knows whether or not this film is playing overseas? in the netherlands, specifically?

Preservatives and "chemicals"? Good luck avoiding dihydrogen monoxide, that stuff is all over.

This is my first time commenting here. I live with my husband (and soon son) in the "suburbs" of a small town in central Pennsylvania. We have a decent sized back yard, and about two years ago we started gardening. We grow our own herbs as well as lettuce, tomatoes, summer squash, and we experiment with other foods. It's very satisfying to watch everything grow, and then to be able to pick it out of the ground and eat it immediately. All it cost was the build the beds (soil mix and some wood) and the cost of the plants every year. I would pay $3.50 per week at least for decent lettuce in the grocery store; for $3.50 we can get 6 lettuce plants that will last us for weeks, and we usually have so much we give some away. Even if you don't have a back yard, you can grow a few things...I see those topsy turvey tomato growers on porches and balconies all over the city I work in. It not only cuts down on grocery bills, but it provides fresh basic ingredients with much more nutrition than the store bought variety has. Our region does have a few CSAs, but the buy-in cost is over $400/yr, which is really out of the budget range of most families. We have more than enough goodies coming from our small garden, and it probably costs less than $25-50/year.

Regarding meat, my husband is a hunter. I was a vegetarian myself for about 8 years so it took a lot of getting used to. The two or so deer that he shoots each fall feeds our family for an entire year...no need to buy red meat at all. I know everything that happened to that animal from the time my husband spotted it until it shows up on my plate, which is a very rare thing these days. You can't get anymore "organic" than that. I understand the arguments against meat eating, but I have come to feel that if I'm going to eat it at all, there's nothing healthier or really more humane for the animal than hunting.

Also regarding hunting, there are people all over the country that hunt because they have to due to financial reasons and many hunters I know share "extra" deer with friends or family who don't/can't hunt themselves but struggle financially. There is also a program for hunters to donate their deer to soup kitchens (I think it's called Share the Harvest?).

I am SO excited to watch that documentary. I was asked by mnn (shameless self promotion: http://mnn.com/users/nkonen) to do a survey on the trailer and I guess I didn't figure the movie would be online. I just got done watching Supersize Me with my boyfriend last night after he brought home McDonalds and it's just awful what I eat sometimes. You wouldn't think of food as an issue beyond health, but it is a social problem. As a jobless college student, I currently live in a low-income neighborhood, and it's sad to see a McDonalds smack-dab in the middle of the neighborhood. It is literally 2 blocks away from me. I mean, these people that don't have a lot of money to buy a car or use a lot of gas can just walk over to McDonalds. It's made too easy for them to ruin their health. It's really sad, but my hope is that in this new century, McD's and other fast food restaurants won't be such big powers.

I try to eat as ethically as possible and have been vegetarian for over a year now, but I am not economically priviledged and a lot of things depend on location. For example, I have farmer's markets near me that are actually cheaper than stores, but farmer's markets do not accept food stamps(at least none I know of), and that is how I buy the vast majority of my food.
Also, I use to live somewhere where tofu was $1 cheaper than my current location and you could purchase tempeh for $1.50 a pound (more in bulk). So I am pretty much limited to beans,rice,noodles, TVP, and frozen vegetables (the only kind I really buy fresh regulary are peppers), usually under $35/mo. I get so frustrated with the restrictions on food sometimes. Not only are time and access problematic for some people, but there are situations where you are literally living from day to day and do not have enough money at one time to shop on a weekly/monthly basis.

I consider my vegetarianism a part of my activism. Money keeps me from buying organic very often, and living situation keeps me from gardening. Timing has been a bar to joining a CSA, but I'm hoping to be able to do it next year. I do shop at farmer's markets when I can afford it.

I consider my vegetarianism a part of my activism. Money keeps me from buying organic very often, and living situation keeps me from gardening. Timing has been a bar to joining a CSA, but I'm hoping to be able to do it next year. I do shop at farmer's markets when I can afford it.

Thank you for this post: this is a very important issue and really hits the boundary where the personal becomes political. On films, "We Feed the World" (Austrian production) was released here in Europe a couple of years ago along similar lines and I also found it quite shocking. That was when I definitively stopped eating any chicken I wasn't 100% sure came from an ethical source...

Check it out:

http://www.we-feed-the-world.at/en/film.htm

? ? ? ?

Hey Miriam -- as a neighbor of yours, I would like to speak to the efforts of the farmer's market in our neighborhood to reach out to those who may not consider going to farmer's markets in the first place. In addition to one (or multiple?) CSAs, some of the farmer's markets in our city also accept WIC (formerly known food stamps) and are usually accessible by public transportation. I was really impressed to see these outreach efforts, and can only hope that we can think of other ways to make healthier and sustainable food more accessible to everyone.

See you at the farmer's market!