Saturday, November 28 at 7:15 pm

Must-see film and panel discussion on the US food industry

So, what’s really in the food you are eating? Food, Inc., a highly acclaimed expose by producer/director Robert Kenner, is a searing look at what we call food these days. This eye-opening documentary will be shown on Saturday, November 28 at 7:00 pm at Morning Star Studio.

Compelling and powerful – it rates 97% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer – Food, Inc. lifts the veil of secrecy on the US food industry. Investigative authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) divulge the real cost of the “cheap” food we buy and its impacts on consumer health, the livelihood of American farmers, worker safety, and the environment.

 “There hasn't been a film this important about American food production, and probably not about industrialized food anywhere,” says Corby Kummer in The Atlantic.

A panel discussion will follow the film, featuring Francis Thicke, co-owner and co-operator of Radiance Dairy; Mary Carter, director of Buy Fresh Buy Local; and organic farmer Steve Hickenbottom. The film is sponsored by Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Inc. in partnership with Radiance Dairy, Buy Fresh Buy Local, Sustainable Living Coalition, Sierra Club, and KRUU-FM.

Interviews with food experts, farmers, businessmen, government representatives, and food advocates reveal where our food comes from and how it is made. Creative animation and clever graphics interspersed throughout the film expose the highly mechanized, Orwellian corporate underbelly deliberately hidden from the American consumer.

The film also features courageous people, like Stonyfield Farm’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farm’s Joel Salatin, who are finding ways to work inside and outside the system to improve food quality. Others are brave men and women who have chosen to speak out, such as chicken farmer Carole Morison, seed cleaner Moe Parr, and food safety advocate Barbara Kowalcyk.

While Food, Inc. doesn’t contain representatives from the food giants, it’s not from a lack of trying. Monsanto, Tyson, Perdue and Smithfield all refused to be interviewed for the film.

"Don't take another bite till you see Food, Inc." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone Magazine

Admission to Food, Inc. is $5. An organic bake sale will be held. Donations and all profits support the work of the sponsoring organizations.

For more information about Food, Inc. visit  http://www.foodincmovie.com/.

CAFO owners and operators are not the only ones subject to costly and time-consuming lawsuits when factory farms harm neighbors. Those who work with CAFOs in a secondary role could also be sued.

JFAN's new booklet, Secondary Liability: Could You Be Implicated in a CAFO Lawsuit? is written in conjunction with noted legal authorities. It outlines the legal responsibilities and risks facing:

• Truck drivers who transport CAFO manure
• Landowners and operators who allow the manure to be spread on their land
• Applicators of CAFO manure.

This 16 page booklet provides detailed information on their potential legal responsibility and offers guidelines to help avoid legal repercussion. It is illustrated with examples of legal precedents in Iowa where homeowners and businesses successfully won lawsuits.

The booklet includes the most recent version of the DNR's Separation Distances for Land Application of Manure as well as JFAN's Good Neighbor Guidelines.

This important reference for those subject to secondary liability is available for $1 each to cover handling and shipping.

To order Secondary Liability: Could You Be Implicated in a CAFO Lawsuit?, click here to email JFAN, call 641-209-6600, or write write a letter or postcard to JFAN, P.O. Box 811, Fairfield, IA 52556.

A downloadable PDF of Secondary Liability: Could You Be Implicated in a CAFO Lawsuit? is available here.

In June, Diane Rosenberg was named Executive Director/Vice President of JFAN. Ms. Rosenberg has been a member of the JFAN Board since January 2007 and for the past year and a half has served as Treasurer.