Joel Salatin – Lunatic Farmer, is coming to Vancouver!

A Lecture with a Lunatic Farmer

Friday 09/10/2010 – 11:12 — Trevor Join us for a lecture with Joel Salatin, American farmer, author, and proponent of sustainable agriculture. Salatin will share stories and insights based on his upcoming book, The Sheer Ecstacy of Being a Lunatic Farmer.

Joel Salatin was profiled in Michael Pollan’s New York Times bestseller, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and featured in the documentaries Food Inc and Fresh. Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in Virginia.

Public Event

Tickets are $45 and include a signed pre-release copy of The Sheer Ecstacy of Being a Lunatic Farmer. Please call 604-688-6755 for tickets.

Time: Monday, September 27 7:00 PM
Location: MacMillan Building – 2357 Main Mall Rm. 166

Seating is limited, call 604-688-6755 for tickets

UBC Student, Faculty & Staff Event

Admission is free with a UBC Student, Faculty or Staff ID card.
Signed copies of The Sheer Ecstacy of Being a Lunatic Farmer will be sold afterwards.

Time: Monday, September 27 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: MacMillan Building – 2357 Main Mall Rm. 166

Seating is limited; admission is first come,  first serve.

For more event details, contact:

Natalie Yuen
UBC Farm Administrative Coordinator
E-mail: ubcfarm.admin@gmail.com

Food Inc on the web!

Quick, before it’s taken down: Food Inc. is on the web at full format: Food Inc.

Facts from Food, Inc.

Just a few foodie facts enough to turn your stomach.

Facts from Food, Inc.

 In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the
market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.

 In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the
majority of beef sold. Today, we have only 13.

 In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and E.
coli 0157h7 so that if a plant repeatedly failed these tests, the USDA could
shut down the plant.  After being taken to court by the meat and poultry
associations, the USDA no longer has that power.

 In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the
FDA conducted only 9,164.

Q&A with Producer/Director Robert Kenner…

Food Inc., Co-Producer/Food Expert Eric Schlosser, Food Expert Michael Pollan and Producer Elise Pearlstein

How did this film initially come about?
Kenner:  Eric Schlosser and I had been wanting to do a documentary version of
his book, Fast Food Nation.  And, for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. By the time Food, Inc. started to come together, we began talking and realized that all food has become like fast food, and all food is being created in the same manner as fast food.

How has fast food changed the food we buy at the supermarket?
Schlosser:  The enormous buying power of the fast food industry helped to
transform the entire food production system of the United States.  So even when
you purchase food at the supermarket, you’re likely to be getting products that
came from factories, feedlots and suppliers that emerged to serve the fast food
chains.

How many years did it take to do this film and what were the challenges?
Kenner:  From when Eric and I began talking, about 6 or 7 years.  The film itself
about 2 1⁄2 years.  It has taken a lot longer than we expected because we were
denied access to so many places.