"Future of Food" film premiers in Lincoln
September 2004
The battle for control of global food systems rages behind the doors of global corporate players and in the fields across Africa, South America, and the U.S. This fight for taking back our food has been taken on by consumer advocacy organizations and now via a grass-roots "house party" concept.
On September 12, nearly a hundred people gathered at the Culture Center for potluck dinner and premier of "The Future of Food", a documentary on genetic engineered food by Deborah Koons Garcia. UNL student organization Ecology Now co-sponsored this event with Open Harvest Natural Foods Co-op Grocery which provided an "Organic Tasting" table.
"Future of Food" examines the devastation of rural economy and the vulnerability of global food security. Varieties of foods planted since 1900 have decreased by 90%. A handful of seed companies now produce most of the food grown on the planet. All of these corporate giants have been bought out by even bigger and fewer chemical corporations that manufacture agricultural pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. These chemicals are now incorporated into growing designer seeds genetically engineered to rely on them to grow.
By-products of genetically engineered food crops fill America's grocery shelves, untested and unlabeled. Consumer demands for labeling and testing have been blocked.
A grassroots effort to raise awareness of genetically modified organisms in our food system is underway locally. Open Harvest is making available "The Future of Food" for home viewing. Contact the administrative office at 475-9033 for more information.