A German documentary called We Feed the World provides a keyhole view into Europe's own industrial farming. Filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer traveled from Austria to Spain to Romania to show how even cuisine-famous places are selling out (or getting sold down the river) for food that makes a profit despite lack of flavor.

In Romania, the Director of Production for Pioneer (a GM company that has infiltrated 120 countries and has the motto “We Feed the World") talks about the role of his company in eggplant farming. He watches with great respect as peasant farmers hand pick eggplants and toss them into a wagon pulled by a mule. He loves the country lifestyle, he says, but laments the fact that he has made these farmers dependent on GM eggplants that don't taste as good as indigenous ones. He says that is company has “fucked over” regions like this consistently. He shakes his head and says, “but a company doesn't have a heart.” It's a strange confession – as if his personal ethics are mutually exclusive from his work.

And then there's the CEO of Nestle, Peter Brabeck. Brabeck is this tan, sort of charming Austrian with a penchant for making totally appalling statements. For instance, he scoffs at the idea that there are some people who think water should be a public right. Instead, he says, water is actually a foodstuff that should be bottled and sold for its market value. If poor people don't have access to water, he says, “we” will figure out a way to get it to them. Yeah....I bet "we" will.

As for corporate social responsibility, Brabeck says that his social responsibility is to make his company prosperous. Uh, okay.

Most U.S. documentaries on industrial farming showcase farm managers and CEOs who deny their role in industrializing food, or find some way to align themselves with popular opinion. We Feed the World is more candid, and whether that's a European thing or the genius of Wagenhofer, it works. And it shows us -- as sustainable agriculture proponents -- the attitudes we're up against.

Comments (11)

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written by Terra Verde, March 05, 2008

I saw that on the Sundance channel. It's brilliant.

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german? really?
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At least that ad graphic is dutch or danish or something, because it's definitely not german...

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I found a better graphic. thanks.

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peasent
written by John Fletcher, April 15, 2008

There is a copy in the UM library if any got a desire to watch it.jf

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