John Novis, photographer for Greenpeace International, spent weeks living at the Yunnan province, China, amongst the local population and made a brilliant record of these farmers’ lifestyle, whose lives are intimately connected with rice farming. Their plantations, which spread over large areas and assure the livelihood of thousands of people, gave John the opportunity to see a rich traditional culture that, unfortunately, is under threat by the large corporations that want to seize control over the rice production.
Check out this slideshow, narrated by John, and its beautiful soundtrack to understand the details of this beautiful homage to farmers of China and the entire world.
Speaking of food, the New York Times published a very interesting piece this week about how the food industry leads consumers to eat things against their own will. Research by Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—the powerful American institution responsible for regulating drugs and food—and author of the book “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite,” shows that the food industry operates more or less like the tobacco industry.
According to Dr. Kessler, by combining fat, sugar and salt in different ways, food manufacturers were able to tap into our brain’s reward system, creating a feedback loop that stimulates our desire to eat and leaves us wanting more and more even when we’re full.
In his book, Dr. Kessler admits: “I wouldn’t have been as interested in finding out why we can’t resist food if I didn’t suffer with this myself. I gained and lost weight several times over. I have suits in every size.”
The food industry is also the theme of a documentary that has been generating lots of debate in the United States. Food Inc. questions many procedures adopted by food manufacturers, a little along the lines of what films such as Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation have done, focusing not only on health and nutritional issues but also on ethical, environmental and political aspects.
It’s the same old story: to eat well, one has to be well informed.
