Thoughts on Food, Inc.

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farms' Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. Food, Inc. opened in the US and Canada on June 12, 2009. US filmgoers can click here to find a nearby theater and purchase tickets.

(Photo & text above are used with permission, courtesy of Food, Inc.)

Last weekend I saw Food, Inc. With this post I'm adding my own recommendation to the rave reviews it's receiving in the press. The film moves in a structured way through a variety of foods and the policies that control our food production. Like any good documentary, it relies on the facts to make its points and keeps hyperbole to a minimum.

Even though I already knew quite a bit about how animals in the food system are mistreated, I wasn't aware of the policies to which farmers must adhere in order to maintain their agribusiness contracts. Nor was I aware of just how few mega-businesses really control our food supply. Or that Tom's of Maine is owned by Colgate-Palmolive and Wal-Mart is the biggest distributor of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt. This movie contains lots of provocative facts to ponder, that's for sure!

Food, Inc. closes with the reminder that we "vote" on how our food is produced with every dollar we spend. It stresses the fact that our individual choices are what will make a difference. The movie does not, however, talk about organizing and collective action. That is perhaps its only failing. One of the biggest points made by Food, Inc. is that control over food is very political. What it doesn't say is that to combat a powerful political force, we need to use collective methods like lobbying, leafleting, boycotting, even marching in the streets. These sorts of tactics demonstrate that we as consumers and taxpayers are united in our efforts.

The Food, Inc. website melds into a more activist site called Takepart.com that offers all sorts of useful lifestyle change suggestions, educational aids, and links to related sites like Center for Food Safety. Please take time to browse and acquaint yourself with all these sites. They help us find ways to be more politically active in matters related to our food supply.

I would also encourage readers to get involved with Farm Sanctuary. (As recounted in my 9/16/07 post, my own Visit to Farm Sanctuary turned me into a more committed vegetarian.) In addition to sheltering farm animals, Farm Sanctuary does a fair amount of political organizing to teach people how to make a collective impact for change. A similar organization not mentioned on Takepart.com is Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). These and other organizations that stress political action as well as individual choice will help us make a difference.

Before action, though, comes education on the issues. Food, Inc. does an EXCELLENT job relaying the facts and demonstrating the need for change on every level of the food industry. If you're in the US or Canada, go see it. If you're outside North America, watch for it. And feel free to share your thoughts in a comment here.

© 2009, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Vegetarian Thursday

Did you know that the city council in the Belgian town of Ghent has declared every Thursday to be a vegetarian day? All the townspeople are encouraged to forego meat, fish, and shellfish, maybe dairy and eggs as well (the article wasn't clear). The people of Ghent want to be a "pioneers in the fight against obesity, global warming, cruelty to animals." Click here to read the entire story published in the Guardian on May 14, 2009.

While my decision to be a vegetarian is based on cruelty issues, others have been motivated by the environmental impact of changing our reliance on meat and animal products. The Guardian article refers to United Nations data which concludes that "meat production and consumption are to blame for 18% of greenhouse gases – more than cars." The 2006 UN report characterizes the devastation caused by the meat industry as "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." For more on this subject, check out Wikipedia's article on Environmental Vegetarianism. All of the information there is footnoted; the citations include many respected sources.

I've been a vegetarian for only two years, and in order to stick with it I have not been able to be eliminate all animal products. I don't eat beef, pork, and poultry. I still eat fish as well as dairy products. However, I have started buying organic milk because those cows live on pasture, eat a natural diet, and generally lead more stress-free lives than their counterparts on massive dairy farms. I buy eggs that sport the Certified Humane logo at the top of this post. I have switched to cruelty free cosmetics which sport the leaping bunny logo below, and I'm trying to use more cruelty free household products. (Click here to learn how to buy all kinds of cruelty free items.)

Maybe I will join the people of Ghent and exclude all animal products from my diet for just one day a week. On that day I could try to expand upon my vegetarian cooking skills. Hmmm... Something to think about. Care to join me?


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* H. Steinfeld et al., Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).

© 2009, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Visit to the Farm Sanctuary

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, I’m a vegetarian again. Here’s how it happened.

On July 6, 2007, The New York Times ran a story called "Where the City's Runaways Roam Free" which recounted the happy tale of Lucky Lady, a sheep that escaped from a Bronx slaughterhouse and was sent to live out the rest of her natural life at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. My husband and I had been trying to decide where to spend a short August vacation. The Times article inspired us to choose the Finger Lakes region of western New York State, a five-hour drive from Manhattan.

On August 20 we visited the Farm Sanctuary. We joined the tour group congregated in the People Barn, the large building on the left below. First we watched a short video explaining the work of Farm Sanctuary and some background about the conditions of modern-day animal husbandry. Afterwards, our guide led us up the hill to the animal barns.

In the cow barn we saw Queenie, who escaped from a NYC slaughterhouse in 2003 and according to our guide “remains feisty to this day.” Indeed, I couldn’t get a picture of her face!

Next we went into a pasture beside the barn to visit the “special needs” cows – a herd of 12-15 cows with an assortment of problems. Some were deaf or partially blind; some had anxiety conditions induced by human mistreatment or by aggressive cows in former herds. Other cows had no real problems of their own but had formed a bond with a special-needs cow and had remained affiliated with that group. In this picture my husband (in the foreground) is looking at three special-needs cows. The one in the middle is mostly blind.


I never really thought about that fact that cows must be pregnant or new mothers in order to give milk, nor did I know that dairy cows give birth every year. To maximize their milk yield, they are artificially inseminated after giving birth. Dairy cows are milked during seven months of their nine-month pregnancies. Calves are taken from their mothers two days after they are born - sometimes even sooner - so the milk can once again be collected for human consumption.

Some of the male calves are destined to become veal. They live their short, miserable lives in very small pens where they can’t turn around or lie down comfortably. Instead of healthy mother's milk, veal calves are fed a special liquid diet designed to keep them in a near-anemic state so that their meat after slaughter will have the desired pale pink color.

Moving on, we visited the sheep and goat barn. Sheep and goats and one cow, actually. This particular cow was harrassed by the other cows, so she decided to move in with the sheep who accepted her as one of their herd. By the way, that's Lucky Lady buddying up to the cow. Being "the new kid on the block" - or in the barn, as it were - perhaps she thought it advantageous to have a very large friend.

We learned that sheep are bred to produce more wool than is natural, so they suffer more than the other animals on hot days. The wooly sheep below was particularly friendly.


The goats were separated into two groups – the frisky youngsters and the arthritic seniors. I didn’t pet this young fellow, but isn’t he a good looking? I think he knows it, don't you?


In the pig barn, we learned that pigs also form social groups of four or five within the larger herd. They arrange their straw so they can sleep with their group. They are very sedentary and sleep about 60% of the time. Pigs are also very clean by nature. In sharp contrast to hog barns that you can smell from the highway long before you see them, this barn had little or no odor.


That's me above, petting a very large old fellow. The youngsters below were about one-third his size. We nicknamed them “the three little pigs.”


When we visited the chicken and turkey barns, we learned how these birds are debeaked and have toes cut off - without anesthesia - to keep them from hurting themselves when the frustration of being crammed into way-too-small spaces inspires aggressive behavior. Did you know that turkeys bred for food have white feathers because brown feathers leave a mark on the skin when plucked? The proud male turkey below is trying to attract the attention of the females on the other side of the fence. Although he was busy, he didn’t mind being petted and his feathers were amazingly soft.


It was fun to see the variety of chickens and roosters. There was one chicken that looked like it had poofy hair and bangs! I didn’t get his picture though. Chickens move fast and are VERY hard to photograph. The geese move slower, so I was able to get a picture of them near their pond.


The rabbit pen contained about 18 rabbits who had not been bred for food; they had been neglected pets. Not any more.


This last picture was taken from the vantage point of the animal barns, looking down at the People Barn where the tour started. The three small buildings in the center of the picture are the bed-and-breakfast cabins in which I had hoped we could stay. If you’re interested, call early as they fill up long before summer comes!

Iwas overwhelmed to realize how humans have genetically altered farm animals to increase profits. Chickens, turkeys, and pigs have foot and hip problems if they live to old age because their frames are not able to support their very large bodies. Thanks to hormones, dairy cows now produce 250-300 gallons of milk a week as opposed to the 30-50 gallons they formerly produced. As a result, they suffer painful udder infections and other maladies which required them to receive regular doses of antibiotics. Our guide told us that 50% of the pharmaceuticals produced in this country are used on farm animals, to make them grow larger and faster and to keep them healthy despite sickening living conditions.

Humans also suffer from modern factory farming methods. Farm workers also suffer lung diseases from breathing bad air in crowded and poorly ventilated barns, and huge factory farming pollutes the soil and drinking water. It is really very wrong, all of it. And there is so little public awareness of how unhealthy factory farming is - for us, for the animals, and for the earth.

After our morning on the farm, my husband and I went back to the town of Watkins Glen for lunch. Reading the menu, I thought about the special-needs cows, the pigs who smiled as they slept and rolled over to have their bellies petted, and the chickens whose freedom allowed them to run too fast to be photographed – and then I ordered a lovely salad topped with Portobello mushrooms.

I thought my reaction would lessen as the days passed, but it's nearly a month since our visit to the Farm Sanctuary and so far I still have no desire to eat meat. I guess that makes me a vegetarian (again).

© 2007, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Truffles Redefined

When I started this blog, my first post (May 7, 2006) stated that the word "truffles" in the title above refers to my journey down the road to becoming a vegetarian. From time to time since then I've expressed some thoughts on that subject. Yesterday as I considered what Christmas dinner would have been if there were no turkey, I realized that I will probably never be a vegetarian. To assume that label would show disrespect for the many people who have succeeded in changing their eating habits. Maybe I'm too old, or to reluctant to cook, or too reliant on food for emotional support. Time to be honest about this: whatever the reasons, my vegetarian resolve is not sufficient to keep me away from meat and poultry. Despite my efforts, I still eat way too much meat and poultry to consider myself a vegetarian by anybody's definition.

Taking a more practical stance for the upcoming year, then, here's what I've decided.

• I will increase my support for organizations like Food Animals Concerns Trust (FACT) that work to make the farming industry more humane.
• When consuming animal products, I will try to find those that are humanely produced.
• I will continue my efforts to reduce my intake of meat and poultry.

In light of all that, I'm redefining and broadening the word "truffles" in the blog title. For 2007, the "truffles" theme will refer to my efforts to eat a healthy diet and to exercise, which is a far greater concern for me at the moment.

This reflective post must be a sign that Christmas is over and New Year's Eve is right around the corner.

© 2006, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Confessions of a Meat Junkie

After a record-setting three months, my proud new vegetarian lifestyle has fallen apart. On a recent trip to Florida, vegetarian choices were few and dull. By the end of the week, my vegetarian resolve was sufficiently weakened to permit chicken. Faced with the post vacation stress of changing jobs, I reverted to old eating habits and the comfort they provide. One night my husband and I shared an order of Ta-Chien Chicken, a longstanding favorite Chinese dish. Last week we shared a plate of lovely German sausages at Zum Schneider. Sausages! It’s hard to call yourself a vegetarian when you eat sausages.

What were my original reasons for wanting to adopt vegetarian eating habits?

• To avoid the unhealthiness of meat caused by the farming industry which has more regard for profits than for the animals’ quality of life and death
• To eat a low-fat diet
• To see if vegetarian eating would improve my digestion

My recent vegetarian stint was interesting, there’s no denying it. I felt generally less heavy and sluggish after eating, and my digestive system functioned better. However, I consumed significantly more cheese and drank a daily glass of soy milk which has the same fat content as whole milk. Hardly a low-fat diet! Consequently, I gained weight, which was not part of the plan. I found it more difficult to maintain vegetarian eating habits outside NYC and when life became stressful. Finally, I realized that, just like being on a Weight Watchers diet, sticking to a vegetarian diet means planning ahead and spending more time in food preparation.

Planning and food prep – without those, any type of diet is doomed. Unfortunately, I would rather spend my time doing most anything else. While my son was growing up, I felt it my motherly duty to put meals on the table. Now that he’s a college student, however, I feel less family responsibility around food. When my son is home during vacations, he eats with his friends in Brooklyn more often than not. My husband frequently eats on a different schedule than I do. So now the planning (or lack thereof) is all about me. It looks like I'm going to be forced to deal with the fact that planning and food prep are necessary if I want to be a vegetarian.

OK... taking a deep breath now, looking determined... OK then. Nothing left but to make a fresh start of it. Rather than make an elaborate plan for a whole week’s worth of meals, grocery shopping and cooking, maybe I should just plan one day at a time. Just commit to one day at a time, like a person who is trying to break an addiction. Hmmm… I wonder if there are any AA-type meetings for meat-eaters?

© 2006, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Just say yes

Twice now I have publicly identified myself as a vegetarian.

The first announcement came at a business meeting a few weeks ago. The meeting was held from 10 AM to 2 PM in the client’s office. Gail, the client’s project manager, had ordered food from a nearby kosher deli. Along with potato salad, cole slaw, dill pickles, chips, cookies and assorted drinks were sandwiches -- corned beef, pastrami, and turkey -- containing at least a pound of meat each. I ate everything except the sandwiches. When Gail asked me if I was a vegetarian, I said yes. In a business setting it didn’t seem appropriate to explain my concerns over the healthiness of meat due to today's industrialized farming methods or my hope that eating a low-fat vegetarian diet will result in weight loss. I just answered the question with a simple "yes", and voila! Like magic, I was a vegetarian. The only conversation on the subject focused on whether I had enough to eat. It wasn’t a difficult conversation because Gail, who is Jewish but not kosher, had ordered “regular” food at the last lunch meeting, leaving our salesman, who is Jewish and kosher, with nothing to eat except chips and Girl Scout cookies. Gail made some joke about not being able to please all of the people all of the time and then promptly changed the subject, but not before I felt everyone’s vague discomfort at my "yes" to the vegetarian question and their pity if they looked at my plate.

The second vegetarian proclamation also occurred at a business lunch, this time with co-workers. We all went to Chinatown to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant. As we were selecting dishes that we would share family-style, Lou said, “Linda, you’re a vegetarian now, right?” And in front of six people whom I see every weekday, I answered yes. I didn’t feel any more comfortable than a few weeks ago at that business lunch where some people were total strangers. This time the concern was slightly different. They wanted me to be able to sample as many of the family-style selections as possible. Since I eat fish, I was able to sample everything except two dishes. And in good family-style tradition, they all tried my spicy tofu with vegetables. Everyone said it was perhaps the best tofu they had ever tasted. Considering that several people were meat-eating men who seemed uncomfortable even saying the word tofu, I took this as a meaningful gesture of friendship!

Both situations made me aware that I’ve assumed a label -- and in some situations, a stigma. If you have a food allergy, people know you have no choice but to avoid certain foods. If you are overweight and dieting, people assume you have positive motivations: good health and good looks. But if you’re a vegetarian, whatever the reason, you are just plain weird. I didn’t actually realize how uncomfortable the vegetarian label, regardless of its definition, can make some people. They are uncomfortable even if I'm not.

While I might see becoming a vegetarian as a process, others obviously see it differently. If you answer "yes" to the vegetarian question, you are a vegetarian. End of story. Wouldn’t it be great if all major life changes were that simple!

© 2006, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Truffles, Turtles & Tunes

The three nouns I’ve chosen for my blog title symbolize the major preoccupations of my life at the moment. The arrangement of these nouns is purely rhythmic and isn’t meant to indicate the amount of time spent pondering any one of them. No, priority shifts among them as life’s events unfold. Set down in this particular order, I thought the nouns had a pleasing lilt. After all, a blog that will include occasional posts on music ought to bear a title that swings a little, don’t you think?

“Truffles” (as in mushrooms, not chocolates) stands for my interest in becoming a vegetarian. Although the vegetarian idea has appealed to me for some time now, I’m finding that making such a radical change in my eating habits is not only challenging but complicated on many levels. I’ve started to see becoming a vegetarian as a process, a journey.

“Turtles” stands for my interest in keeping two red-eared sliders healthy and happy. Since I acquired them as hatchlings two years ago, I’ve learned a great deal about what sorts of creatures they are and what they require. I love watching them bask and swim, and I marvel at the fact that their anatomy remains basically unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs. With a bit of luck and proper care they could actually outlive me, so I see my involvement with these turtles as a journey of another sort.

“Tunes” stands for my interest in music, currently focused on learning to play traditional Irish music on the flute and tin whistle. Since an Ireland vacation three years ago, I’ve been deeply moved by the joyous beauty of Irish dance tunes and intend to play them really well someday. I’m constantly intrigued by the differences between traditional and classical music. It seems that traditional Irish music takes most of the concepts I learned in classical music and turns them on their head. This perspective, though confusing and frustrating at times, has given new life to my musical journey.

My blog posts will deal with these three areas of my life and will focus on whichever preoccupation has grabbed my attention most recently. But why publish this stuff online, you may ask? I’m not really sure. As a form of communication? As a form of reflection, since the act of writing helps clarify one’s thinking? As a way to participate in the current blog craze and thereby understand it better? Who knows… While the whole blogging phenomenon still seems a little weird to me, I knew I was hooked when I realized that I’m a regular reader of at least six blogs and look forward to new posts on each of them. On occasion I’ve even been known to browse the blogs of total strangers! So what the heck… In the spirit of sharing the journey, here goes…

© 2006, Linda Mason Hood
Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement