AndersonFilmAnnotation9


 * Film Annotation #9**
 * What’s on Your Plate?**
 * Word Count: 1258**

This film was //What’s on Your Plate?//, directed by Catherine Gund and released in 2009.
 * 1.** **Title, Director, and Release Year?**

Two girls, Sadie and Safiyah, who live in New York City are inspired to go out and explore the food system after eating some local food that they found much tastier.
 * 2.** **What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

One part of the film that has both scientific information and emotional appeal is that one of the girls has high cholesterol. The film explained that Sadie’s cholesterol had been high since she was eight years old. Her doctors explained that they were seeing more overweight and obese children, as well as more children with other problems related to unhealthy food choices. The film also explained that poorer people were less likely to live in an area where they had easy access to healthy food (a study was also done for different zip codes in the New York City area). Minorities are not only more susceptible to certain diet-caused diseases (Type II diabetes), but they are also more likely to be poor because of historical factors. The two girls did not find this fair. Neither do I.
 * 3.** **How is the argument made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?**

Although the film centers around health issues with eating the type of food Americans commonly eat, it also draws out many different sustainability problems surrounding the food system. Political and legal problems include the difficulty of making changes in schools. In one school in the film, the oven had broken and it was estimated that it would be five years before the school would be able to get a new oven. As a result, the school could not cook food for the children, but had to rely on prepared foods. One issue with the current food system is that healthier foods are often more expensive than unhealthy fast foods. As a result, many people cannot afford healthier foods or food grown in more ecologically sound ways. Many foods, including produce, come from far away, sometimes as much as halfway around the world. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy produce from other countries; other times, the produce is out of season in the US. Many Americans like to be able to buy whatever they want year-round. Another point that the film made is that some children get free breakfast through the school lunch program, free lunch, and then free dinner in the afterschool program. While children from wealthier backgrounds are only eating school lunches five times a week, these children are depending on the school food for their nutrition. It is especially important that the food offered in schools is healthy and nutritious.
 * 4.** **What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?**

Since I was homeschooled, I had not known much about the school lunch system. It was interesting to learn about it, but I still wish there could be a different way that was less bureaucratic. In college, of course, there are the dining halls, which are full of unhealthy food and far from sustainable. It seems like the solution to all of these problems cannot be that difficult or complicated, but it is since there are so many laws surrounding the production and preparation of food. Also, I would argue that many children prefer the unhealthy food; after all, our brains are wired to like fatty and sugary foods. Getting kids to eat the healthier food was discussed a little in the film. That being said, I think that children should be taught what foods are healthier and unhealthy options should not be offered every day in places of learning. The very fact that two young girls had done this project was very compelling to me. I felt that they acted very professional and adult-like in the film. The girls were inspiring and I hope that their film reaches many children and shows them what is wrong with their diet and how they can fix it. I think that //What’s on Your Plate?// has a better chance of reaching lots of children than other films about the nation’s food problems since it is presented by children and focuses on issues that will specifically concern children.
 * 5.** **What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

I felt like the film was a bit simple for me. I already knew many of the problems, specifically the ones surrounding farms. I think that it had great educational value for a younger audience, and I did think the two girls did a really amazing job, but it did not go into great detail about the issues that I am more interested in. I also felt that the film was almost too upbeat and positive; it gave the impression to me that we just have to do a few simple things and everything will be fixed.
 * 6.** **What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

The audience that the film best addresses is children about seven to twelve years old. Any younger might still find it entertaining, but probably would not understand much of the film. Older teenagers and adults would likely see the film as being too simple and cute but might still learn something.
 * 7.** **What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

This film did a great job of connecting environmental issues to what was discussed. However, there was no real discussion about pesticides or factory farms. Yes, local and pesticide free/organic food is the solution, but more education about the environmental problems caused by agriculture today would have demonstrated how eating better is not just good for human health, but also for the planet.
 * 8.** **What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental education value?**

//What’s On Your Plate?// did a great job of proving solutions. CSAs, farmers markets, and programs to get local, healthy food in schools were all presented as solutions. The film pointed out that WIC coupons could be used in farmers’ markets, something many people eligible for the coupons do not know. One solution for schools that has had some success is to have a salad bar; the film pointed out that children like being able to make their own lunch and get a healthier meal. If the salad bar ingredients come from farms utilizing environmentally –friendly practices, this solution benefits the planet even more. Organic and other natural farming practices were presented as solutions in the films. Buying local, naturally grown food is a great way to reduce the impact on the planet, as well as being a tastier and healthier solution to conventionally grown food. One family in the film talked about the dad’s heart attack and how the whole family had changed their eating and exercise habits afterwards. Recruiting more people to be farmers was another solution that would work well, since the natural farming methods are more people-intensive than conventional farming practices.
 * 9.** **What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.**

One compelling part of the film for me was when they discussed the results of a study on farmers markets and zip codes. I decided to see if I could find some more information about race, food, and disease. I found three PDFs online that explain further explain the correlation and consequences of these. One of [|them] argued that fast food was a type of oppression since many people who are minorities or in poverty do not have access to healthy food. While this article is long and I did not read the whole thing thoroughly, I found some interesting facts; one quote that really compelled me was “Historically, African Americans, in particular, have experienced express and covert discrimination in restaurants” [Freeman, 2230-2231] and therefore prefer fast food restaurants, aside from cost. This [|article] is jam-packed with information and statistics on “food deserts”—areas where there are not many food options, especially healthy food options. The third [|article I found] explained the science behind race and heart disease (which includes diet) and provided plenty of statistics and graphs.
 * 10.** **What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)**

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