How do they do that?
I recently returned from a vacation out West. It was terrific to see the blue sky again as we in the East have struggled to identify the summer season. Following a lengthy hike in the hot sun, someone suggested that we take our children to Sonic for a treat. I had never been to this particular establishment before and in fact, don’t frequent fast food places at all. I have to say that the root beer float was delicious. Who wouldn’t love that culinary delight following a long, hot hike?!
However, one thing I did notice as we awaited our server to arrive on rollerblades, (that was a novelty!) was the “dollar menu”. This intrigued me. Main menu items such as a hamburger or chicken fillet sandwich…for a dollar. How is that possible? I struggle to feed my family of two a healthy diet, barely making it out of the market for $50 a week, and I am careful and conservative. How can a restaurant afford to do this?
I think the answer that I seek can and will be found in the new documentary, Food, Inc. where filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, explaining among other things, how the dollar menu can exist and how it preys on the health of our society. The film features interviews with such experts as, Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Please make a point of visiting the film website and making a plan to see this important documentary. In addition to becoming more informed about the food industry, on the website you can take action to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, a campaign that we continually encourage action on for the health of our nation’s children. Please check it out today!
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