Nos enfants nous accuseront

Food Beware is not about "science" and it isn't about "emotions"; the film maker provides an enormous amount of information (potentially "over the heads" of most viewers), even allowing "rebuttal" information from farmers and others who are completely sold on the corporate model of "farming" -- though the statistics offered by government and international agencies directly refute the corporate allegations. Food Beware is about children, the unavoidable fact that they are increasingly unhealthy, and the stand taken by one French town to take control of SOME of the factors that contribute to better health and well-being of its children AND adults.

The Mayor, who, with his Council, mandated that school lunches would be "organic," appears in many amazing scenes and comes across as both admirable and diplomatic, committed and practical. In one scene he reviews the contents of a school trash bin, and the evidence of parental non-compliance with the organic model. He reads the frightening list of chemical ingredients of one packaged "snack food," reading the names of various poisons without any comment. None is needed.

The fact of the superiority of "organic" foods, in taste, in beauty, in nutrition, and in their benefit to the environment at large, is the real "science" of Food Beware. See the happy children. See them enjoy every "organic" morsel on their plates. What more evidence is necessary?

This wonderful film is giving me some hope again that people will eventually come to their senses and reject the crushing dominance of chemical agriculture. I have lived for several years on an organic dynamic farm in Germany in the 1970's and these were the years of the best food I ever had. You cannot even buy such food in an organic store. Since then my worst fears have come true times 10. Nobody could imagine GMO's back then or the insane amount of new chemicals used in food production and processing. Some critics here said that there is no scientific proof in this film that these chemicals cause the crazy rise in cancer, especially in young people. Well those chemicals might not be the only reason, but combined with Chernobyl, all the nuclear power plants in France and world wide plus all the dangerous chemicals in houses, cleaning products etc. etc. We have to start somewhere - and why not with our food and water? IMO that is a great place to start the change of a better world for future generations.

This documentary gives useful information on the effects conventional agriculture can have on our health. Even in this small town in the French countryside where everything looks so beautiful and where fields look so healthy at first sight, pesticides and other chemicals are having an effect on the land and the population.

The documentary is a bit slow and very much focused on this small French town's push to bring organic food to the school's canteen, but it is worth seeing. It's a good addition to the documentaries looking at food and health of the past few years.

Regarding facts vs anecdotes:

The end credits provide a "bibliography" with some sources from academic journals. Seeing that helped me trust the figures quoted during the movie a little more.

When it comes to environmental issues, there seems to be two categories, scientifically based and emotionally based. This one definitely falls into the second category.

Unfortunately, for a documentary to resonate with me I need facts and statistics, not anecdotes, and this is pretty much all this movie has to offer.

The film takes for granted that pesticides are the cause of child cancers, and places the blame squarely on the individuals, parents and farmers, applying these synthetic pesticides.

As a toxicologist, I am fully of the opinion that a majority of cancers of environmentally induced. But to place this weight solely on individuals is misplaced, even though most evidence demonstrates higher incidences of cancers near golf courses and such (but interestingly, not all golf courses). There are several sources of environmental toxins, mostly industrial, which find their way into our lives.

This movie reduces the cancer connection to pesticide use, when in fact it is a much larger environmental image.

On the other hand, on a positive note, I realize some people do not respond well to facts and reality, but are more compelled to act from an emotional plea (as unsound as it may be). In this, the film certainly presents a strong emotional plea: YOU'RE KILLING YOUR KIDS!

Food Beware gives an eye-opening account of why pesticides and chemical fertilizers are dangerous to a person's health. Alarming statistics are shared making a person question the foods they are eating. This documentary is much more than educating about the importance of eating organic foods. It shows how one person can impact and influence others. One school, in a small village in France, choosing to serve organic meals influenced the parents who in turn bought more organic food, which increased the shopkeepers businesses. Even though the documentary focuses on agricultural practices in France, I think it is beneficial for anyone to watch. There are many takeaways that can be applied to anyone's life no matter where they live.