On May 28, Just Food – University of Oregon in the Mills International Center, the UO Student Sustainability Coalition, Holden Center, and Cultural Forum will be hosting a free screening and informal discussion of “FED UP.” The latest buzzed-about documentary takes “filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and journalist Katie Couric on a long investigation of how the American food industry may be responsible for more sicknesses than previously realized,” according to the event’s Facebook page.
The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will bring about a great way to kick off the weekend for both you and your friends, as you all can enjoy the screening complete with free catering by Falling Sky Pour House Delicatessen.
Similar to the fad over “Supersize Me” in 2004, “FED UP” manages to once again bring a frightening wake-up call to Americans nationwide. “Between 1971 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity in the United States doubled. During that time, fat consumption decreased, carbohydrate consumption rose and average calorie intake rose from 2,450 to 2,618 for men, and from 1,542 to 1,877 for women. The film blames sugar, but one could argue that total calorie intake was to blame” stated Harriet Hall from sciencebasedmedicine.org.
As interested in the message behind “FED UP” as audiences across the country are, the group behind this special screening’s feelings are similar.
“Just Food is a group of students on campus that are interested in being active participants in the food system in our community and the greater community of the world,” said Nicolette Ulrich, one of the student coordinators of the event. “We are interested in all aspects of food, such as the planting, production, harvesting and consumption. Furthermore, we enjoy analyzing these systems through the lenses of race, equity, accessibility, and distribution.”
“FED UP” not being the first screening from this group goes to show that these popular screening events manage to bring about a new kind of conversation among UO students.
“We have done a series of documentary screenings on campus this year including The Garden and Growing Cities,” said Ulrich. “We hope to continue to facilitate conversations about our food system through exposing these documentaries to the student community and engage with the food community to further understand and improve our interactions with food.”
To get your brain gears moving, check out the film’s trailer before heading over to the screening May 28th at 6 p.m. in the Mills International Center.