HawksleyFilmAnnotation6


 * Erika Hawksley**
 * Annotation #6**
 * Word Count: 1,587**


 * Title:** What’s on your Plate?
 * Director:** Catherine Gund
 * Release year:** 2009


 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

The narrative of this film is exploring where our food comes from. Two young girls, Sadie and Safiyah, from New York City are inspired by the taste of fresh farm food and begin to question why food from the grocery store and at their school doesn’t taste as good. They investigate the food systems in New York City and the surrounding areas and visit farms and food markets in the process. The film addresses the origin of food, where it is cultivated, how far it travels, how it is prepared, and why it is packaged. They also look into eating healthy and organic foods and where there is access to these types of food in their area. This documentary is inspiring because these two eleven-year-olds ask some great questions about food that we all should be asking, and are persistent about finding the answers to their questions.


 * How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?**

The narrative of this film is made and sustained by real life observations that the girls make about the world they live in. The girls talk to food activists, farmers, their parents, and store owners about the issues and then discuss their opinions with each other. They go to a farm and help plant and harvest food in order to better understand the work that goes into growing vegetables and herbs. They talk to the principle and cook at their old elementary school to see what types of food are used for the school lunches and if there is a way to get better food. Sadie and Safiyah also analyze what types of food are in their diets and observe the food choices that are around them. One of the girls has high cholesterol because it runs in her family so the film also follows her doctor’s visits and lifestyle changes in order to get her cholesterol down to acceptable levels. The other girl and her family are vegetarians so they discuss how that affects the foods that they eat. Overall, not much scientific information is provided. The film has some emotional appeal with regards to pointing out that there is some discrimination when it comes to accessing organic food, but nothing really heart wrenching is brought up.


 * What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?**

The film draws out nearly all types of sustainability problems. Political problems are discussed when the girls look into why schools can’t afford better food for lunches. They find out that the government regulates how much money the schools get which makes it very difficult to buy healthy organic foods. Economic problems are addressed when the girls talk about how organic foods are often more expensive than other food, which restricts some people from buying them. Organizational sustainability problems can be seen in the structure of our current food system, as the girls look at how food is grown and shipped back and forth all over the world. They question why we ship apples from China to New York when New York grows a lot of its’ own apples. Culturally, our society has gotten used to shopping in grocery stores that offer every variety of food imaginable and it is hard to get it through their heads that this is not a healthy or sustainable way to get food. The processes that go into getting so many food options so readily available on a shelf have many consequences. Ecological problems can be seen when considering the impacts that using pesticides and fertilizers to grow food have on our health and the environment. The packaging and shipping of food across the country is another ecological problem.


 * What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

The part of the film that I found most compelling was the scene in a science class in a school where the teacher came up with an experiment to show kids what good and bad calories were. The kids had to burn funyuns, marshmellows, and walnuts and observe which one burned the longest in order to determine which one contained the most amount of energy. The walnut lasted a lot longer than either of the processed unhealthy foods, which showed the kids that eating walnuts and ‘good calorie’ foods will give them a lot more energy than the junk food. I thought this was a genius experiment that really got through to the kids about what kinds of foods they should choose to eat.


 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

I was not convinced by the part of the film where the girls spoke to the Manhattan Borough President about how some neighborhoods and demographic groups lack of access to organic or fresh foods. He seemed to support providing more access to these areas, but did not propose how he would help the problem. He didn’t seem very compelled to give more people access to better food.


 * What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

This film is for audiences ready to learn more about where our food comes from. It is a great film that everyone should see because we all eat food and could use more information about what we are eating. //What’s on Your Plate?// is appropriate for all education levels because it explains the issues very well and doesn’t rely on much previous knowledge besides the food you eat. This film is also great for kids because it is made from a kid’s perspective and can help educate people from a young age to ask important questions about food. These girls state their raw opinions and continue to re-analyze where they stand as they learn more and more from different aspects of the food system.


 * What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**

This film could have discussed where our meat is from in addition to fruits and vegetables. Meat seemed to be one thing they didn’t discuss at all and the meat industry in the U.S. has many detrimental effects on health and the environment. This may have been avoided because one of the girls was a vegetarian, but I think discussing it would have enhanced the environmental educational value of the film.


 * 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.**

This film suggests supporting local farmers by buying their produce and helping them plant and/or harvest if possible. The girls also encourage pushing government to make it possible for schools to offer better lunches for kids, including healthier and organic options. The film encourages people to buy organic and farm fresh food from sources like farmers markets. Another kind of action that is encouraged is taking part in community supported agriculture (CSAs) in order to gain fresh foods while supporting local farmers. The girls even have a small window box garden in their New York City apartments, which takes advantage of every resource possible. Having a larger garden in a rural area would be helpful in order to reduce dependence on other sources and to know exactly where your food comes from.


 * What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)**

This film compelled me to seek out the //What’s on Your Plate// website. On their website I found some interesting information in the Take Action section about how to identity GMO foods. This blog post informed me that you can tell the whether fruits and vegetables are genetically modified, conventionally grown, or organic by looking at the PLU code on the stickers. If the code begins with a 9 and is 5 digits then it is organically grown. If it starts with an 8 it is genetically modified and if it is only 4 digits then the product was conventionally grown. []

I was also interested in looking up more details about the carrot farmer, Mr. Ball, that the girls visited and why it was so difficult for the school system to switch to more local carrots. I found a New York Times article about this farmer that helped explain the situation better. The New York City school district only buys food from four approved distributors, who are required by federal and local law to seek out the least expensive product that will meet its specifications. Unfortunately, school districts who use federal money to buy food cannot give preferential treatment to local products. When a similar problem arose with apples, the specifications had to be written in a way to allow local apples to be used in schools. For local carrots to be used, it would have to be in the specifications to supplement the supply with carrots from other states because local carrots cannot be grown year round. Another challenge was packaging the carrots in a kid friendly manner without too much waste. The farm tried cutting baby carrots out of their carrots, but it wasted too much of the vegetable, so they decided on crinkle sliced carrots instead. Finally, after a long battle with regulatory systems, New York carrots are being served in New York City schools. []