Friday night we joined some friends for a night at the movies, foodie style. We saw the documentary Food, Inc. and I have to say it was a real eye-opener. It looks at industrial food production in the U.S., including corn, beef and chicken, and the state of the products that are available in your grocery store.

The number of items that contain corn by-products, why e. coli and diabetes have become such pervasive problems and why regulatory bodies in America have been unable or unwilling to do anything were all addressed. It was a fascinating look at where the most common food/products we consume come from.

I’m not sure if everyone else has noticed how much bigger chicken breasts seem these days, but it is deliberate, and how it has come about frightens me a little. I’m sure some people will say the documentary was biased against the “big food” companies, but it certainly didn’t help their case that they were unwilling to talk to the film’s producers.

The bottom line to me seemed to be about the dangers of having the “bottom line” as your only concern when it comes to food production, without weighing the costs to the environment or the consumer’s waistline. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems ridiculous that people can buy a couple of hamburgers for less than the cost of many vegetables.

At any rate, I encourage you to judge for yourself.