The research and advocacy efforts documented on The Acne-Free Foodie are part of a growing movement advocating healthy, sane eating in the US. The AFF Media entries will spread the word about others' efforts to bring attention to the US food problem.
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution documents internationally-known British chef, Jamie Oliver's effots to help the people of Huntington, West Virginia, change their eating habits from ones that are making them sick to ones that will heal them. Oliver's work tackles the mounting US obesity epidemic on several fronts: removing processed food from local school lunches; showing community members how to cook simple recipes from scratch; and raising money to fund his community projects after he leaves. I really appreciate how Oliver emphasizes how simple and fun from-scratch cooking can be, along with the health and financial benefits. His Food Revolution Website explains his branch of the movement; provides links to sign petitions; and offers recipes (and how-to videos) to cook at home. His TED Prize Talk provides a good summary of his work for the time-strapped.
There are two big problems, however: on a small scale, individual's attitudes towards food; and on an overwhelmingly large scale, our food production. Jamie Oliver tackles the small-scale while Food Inc. tackles the large-scale.
Food Inc. introduces several systemic problems in our food production system and demostrates how those problems contribute to mounting health problems in the US. The ambitious documentary links industrially produced meat, genetically modified foods, and food subsidies with food-borne illness, antibiotic resistance, obesity, type II diabetes, off-balance food prices, and environmental degradation. I'm normally measured when confronted with big issues, but, what I saw angered me and confirmed my convictions that drastic change is necessary.
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