Blog #7- Refreshingly Fresh

 Daily, people go through pounds and pounds of processed foods. It seems like a small factor of life, and it's such a simple factor everyone overlooks. What if we actually started to focus on what we put into our body? What if we sat back to  think about how our food is processed. 

I, for one, know that I haven't given my food too much thought. Processed food was very fast convenient for my schedule; I didn't have to wait for my food to cook or buy a bunch of ingredients to make one dish. I knew that my food came from animals, but I didn't give much thought on how those animal's upbringing affected the product. 

In the movie, Fresh, farmers are being interviewed about their farm, their beliefs, and what separates them from big, well-known, farming companies. One common trait was the way they treated their livestock. Joel Salatin,  a sustainable farmer, displays the fence he has for his chickens.  The fence is small and made of thick thread, but it's enough to keep danger out and the chicken in. Salatin then compares the fence to the way big industries contain their livestock in massive million dollar buildings only to pay it off so many years later. The fences are cheap, and it can be shaped according the to landscape.

Fresh also discusses the way livestock is brought up. Big industries, who were not named, feed dead cow  to their cows and cut off the beaks of their poultry. They have the idea that the livestock's needs aren't as important as getting them fat and juicy for consumer consumption. However, small farms such as Feel Good Farms and Growing Power farms prioritize their livestock's needs, because they know that having quality food begins with how it's brought up. 

Now, you may be wondering, what's the difference in the taste or value? How could this better my life? I believe a large part of caring has to do with one's morals. Many people share and differentiate in what is right and wrong in the world. Many couldn't care how their food is brought up, just as long as it's cheap and easy, but many don't want animals to hurt at all and avoid animal products altogether. Fresh's intentions were to reach out to those who are in between these extremes and get them to invest into small farms that actually care about their products. They're giving the idea that small farms put the people's dollar to good use, instead of wasting it on unnecessary machines or factories. Small farmers care about their product, not just the money. 

To Be Continued . . .