film - Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution

[Louise]

This is not an easy film to find, but it is worth hunting it down to watch.

'For the first time ever, our children are growing up less healthy than their parents. As the rate of cancer, infertility and other illnesses which have been linked to environmental factors climb ever upward each year, we must ask ourselves: why is this happening? What can we do to save our children's health - and our own? The problem is hard to address, because it is invisible. Most of our food has been sprayed with pesticides and grown with fertilizers that have contaminated the soil, by industrial food producers that put profits above our health. But is there another way? Can a modern society feed itself without contaminating land and livestock?

FOOD BEWARE follows an experiment in a small village in the mountains of France, where - in opposition to powerful economic interests - the town's mayor has decided to make the school lunch menu organic, with much of it grown locally. Featuring interviews with children, parents, teachers, health care workers, journalists, farmers, elected officials, scientists and researchers, we learn about challenges and rewards of their stand - both the abuses of industry as well as the practical solutions at hand. What will it take to save our health? This moving testament to one community's answer is food for thought, and provides a blueprint for a growing revolution'

[Katie]

Are our children growing up less healthy or are we just monitoring, tracking nd recording it more? I was brought up on jam sandwiches and chips with most things so I am not sure this film is completely accurate in stating that kids are not as healthy nowadays

[Linon]

The film points out that this is the first generation that will be unhealthier than their parents, it clearly states those statistic are taken from people born in the 1920-1930 era, through to death. What they state, is that people born in the year 2000 will be the unhealthiest generation based on all the chemicals they are exposed to from their food and environment. Sadly, as each generation is born thereafter, they will only get sicker.

The statistics in this film are shocking!

[Louise]

Some of the statistics are quite alarming, here are a few of the main points..

This generation is the first generation in modern history which are not going to be as healthy as their parents.

in Europe 70% of cancers are linked to the environment - 30% to pollution and 40% to food.

In France the number of males with cancer has increased by 93% in 25 years

Sperm counts have dropped by 50% in 50 years

European cancer cases in children have been increasing 1.1% yearly for the last 30 years

Agriculture accounts for around 90% of the pesticides used.

Cases of obesity and diabetes have tripled in the last 20 years

Over 300 chemical pollutants have been detected in the umbilical cord blood of 30 newborn babies, at least 2/3rds of these chemicals are considered endocrine disrupters.

90% of cultivated soil is treated with chemicals.

[Emma]

It’s interesting to read about that 70% of cancers are environmental/food which means that potentially up to 70% of cancers are preventable.

Why is there not more of a push to highlight this, rather than the emphasis of cure once you have cancer?