I normally don’t write about what I see in movies, but after watching “Food Inc.” at Cine Theatre in downtown Athens, GA, I have to write about this one. As a follower of Jesus I am convicted about how relatively little thought I have given to the subject of food, particularly where it comes from and who is part of the process. It’s not that I haven’t thought about it at all, my wife and I had started buying organic milk and vegetables in recent months. But I had not put all the pieces together, and this movie was a big step toward seeing the bigger picture.
If you don’t know me, it is important that you know that I am a carnivore extraordinaire! When the film said that the average American eats over 200 pounds of meat a year, I said, “YES!”. I generally make it a point to eat meat at least once a day and rarely go without. I love to grill! Some of you are right with me and others of you are probably revolted at my carnivorous appetite. But those are the facts about me…and now on with the issues at hand.
After watching “Food Inc.” I am convinced that this issue is not a preference issue, but rather it is an ethical issue. And for those who are followers of Jesus our Christian ethics must examine this important area of life. Why? Because we all eat – and many of us do so multiple times a day. And all of this eating means that many people and animals are directly affected by the choices we and businesses make.
Of course the main issue is on the people side of things. My conclusion is that people are heavily exploited when it comes to food. Not just a few people, but masses of people. Migrant workers are particularly exploited by the system. I’m left just being angry about this part of the equation. The source of the anger is compassion. Remember how Jesus looked out at the masses with compassion. Before going into other elements let me just say that if you don’t have compassion for humanity then you aren’t very much like Jesus. If you are not burdened for the people and nations of the world, then you aren’t very much like Jesus. You need to ask him for a new heart, new eyes, and new ears, so that you may see as He sees, and be compassionate as He is!
Here are the issues:
How does my food consumption affect the lives of other humans? Can I change my eating habits in a way that helps people?
Should there be standards for how animals are raised and killed for food? Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
How can I make those I feed safer based on how I buy food?
What should my perspective be on laws concerning immigration, the patenting of life, farm bills, and safety as related to the food industry?
Are there certain companies I should avoid buying from or owning stock in?
What other difficult issues come into play?
I’ll do my best to give some direction or at least point us to those who have a good direction on these issues.
Love 
September 15, 2009 at 1:06 pm
That is a very good point. We actually started buying organic milk and a number of other organic products about 2 years ago for mostly health related concerns. However, the decision to buy or not buy certain food products should be determined by the Word of God, not just our stomachs or our concerns about steroid hormones or other chemicals that may be in certain foods. I really need to see this movie, as it obviously has had an impact on you and the way you see the food industry. I am excited to hear your thoughts on how our food choices can be made to help us become more like Jesus.
September 15, 2009 at 8:58 pm
He said, have faith and eat
September 16, 2009 at 1:46 am
Jeremiah – could you give me the exact reference you are referring to. I’m not familiar with that as a biblical quotation…though we are told in Romans 14 that if someone does not eat something in faith yet eats it then that person is sinning. But Romans 14 does not teach us to just eat anything without concern of where it came from. If I had you bowl of e coli and say, “have faith and eat,” you would rightly refuse – at least I would hope you would.
To be clear this really isn’t a discussion about any particular type of food or even the issue of eating was is put in front of you out of respect and hospitality. The issue I am interested here is particularly the exploitation of humans – which Jesus certainly cares about! And secondly, the mistreat of animals – which is a sign of what we think about God’s creation and life in general…so this again is a people and God issue. I’ll hit this more in a future post but God seems to care about cattle and what not- see the end of the book of Jonah.
September 18, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Fantastic post. This is a subject that I have been passionate about for some time. As a matter of fact it started with Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Pollan is featured in the movie and much of what he covers in the book is highlighted in the movie.
Also, Joel Salatin is awesome in the movie. He is even better in film than I had pictured him while reading the book.
I am really looking forward to your next posts. There are some other good books and movies on this subject, but this hits all the right areas in all the right ways.
Christians have remained silent on these issues for far too long. We have better reasons to care for people and creation than most, but we are late to the party.
Hopefully these posts will help us move closer to where we need to be.