By Kip Pastor
Most Americans now purchase organic food in some form, but don't know what "organic" really means. In Organic We Trust follows filmmaker Kip Pastor on a journey to answer the essential questions about organic: What exactly is certified organic? Is it really better for us, or just marketing hype? Is organic the key to transforming our food system?
The first half of the film digs deep to investigate what "certified organic" means and the truth behind the labeling and marketing. The film presents a broad spectrum of views, including interviews with organic farmers, scientists, critics, and health, food and agriculture experts, mixed with creative graphics. Along the way, Pastor learns that what began as a grassroots movement of small-scale organic farmers has turned into a $30 billion industry dominated by large corporate operations, most with little real interest in reforming our unhealthful food system. But in spite of the corporatization of organic, the grassroots philosophy that drove the original movement is making a comeback in many innovative and hopeful forms.
The second part of the film highlights the variety of ways this philosophy is now changing how we grow and eat our food on a broad scale, well beyond just growing organic. Pastor travels across the country to unearth the stories of those at the forefront of a renewed sustainable food movement: family farmers dedicated to stewardship of the land, a thriving "locavore" subculture centered on farmer's markets, chefs feeding children healthy school meals, and urban gardens sprouting up to bring fresh food to low-income communities.
The film is divided into two parts:
Part 1: "Investigating Organic & Conventional Agriculture" (40 Minutes)
Part 2: "Beyond Organic: Other Solutions" (40 Minutes)
Reviews
~ "A jaunty first-person tour of this burgeoning sector of the food business. The movie explains what 'organic' is and isn't." - Washington Post
~ "A relevant and revelatory documentary that forays into both the make-up and marketing of the foods we eat." - Orange County Register
~ "In Organic We Trust calls into question corporate influence in the organic food industry, and makes a good case for buying from local farmers." - San Francisco Chronicle
Award
~ Golden Palm Award, Mexico International Film Festival
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