Food with Integrity or Advertising with Duplicity?

If you’ve seen the Chipotle Scarecrow video (no, I’m not hyperlinking to it) that recently went viral, then you may agree with me that it is 3 minutes and 23 seconds of your life you’ll never get back….Okay, maybe that’s a bit too harsh.  I mean, it’s not as bad as the Miley Cyrus VMA performance, right?  No, I’m not hyperlinking to that, either.  But I digress.  If you’ve seen the Chiptole Scarecrow video, you really should invest another 2 minutes and 11 seconds to watch the Funny or Die parody video.

 

What I love about this parody is that it’s like the Wizard of Oz when the curtain gets pulled back and you see what (or who) is really pulling the strings.  Here are some interesting editorials and reactions to this video that address some excellent points.

First, a response from “Big Ag” in this article from the Back 40.  By the way, why does “big” necessarily mean “bad”?  We love Apple, Facebook, the NFL, baseball, hot dogs, and Chevrolet.  And, really, Chipotle is “big” as well.  But we, as a society, are so removed from farms and farming that we don’t understand the business, technology and stewardship that goes into modern day farming.  We hear about “factory farms” but the reality is that many, if not most, farms in the U.S. today are family farms. (For example, 97% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned and operated).

This Washington Post article brings up an excellent point – is there a vegan agenda, and if so – how does that fit for a restaurant that serves meat??

And finally, this Salon.com article explores what they call a “vegetarian bait and switch.”

Speaking of “integrity”….let’s talk about credible sources for nutrition information.  Besides the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the International Food Information Council, you should check out the great resources for health professionals and the public from The Center for Food Integrity on their BestFoodFacts.org website.  Their mission is to bring you the most objective, trustworthy and accurate information directly from the experts.

 

 

 

 

 

What thoughts or reactions do you have?  Join in the conversation!  Leave a comment below or send me an email.

The next helping of “Food for Thought” is coming soon so be sure to check back again. 
Next on the menu:

Local, Natural, Organic, Oh My!
OMG it’s the GMOs
The Sodium Saga – should you take it with a grain of salt?

If you liked this post, check out my podcast A Grain of Salt: A Closer Look at Nutrition News with co-host Rachel Begun.

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