By Andrew Rudansky
Ana Nieto and Ivo Tomasini, co-managers of the Sag Harbor Farmers Market on Bay Street, care about what you eat.
“Most people just fill their bodies with processed junk, and they don’t even know what is done to the food,” said Tomasini. Both he and Nieto have dedicated their lives to educating people on the issue of food, supporting sustainable family farming over big agribusiness.
“We want to awaken the people who are not in touch with food realities,” said Nieto. Education, Nieto said, is the key to this awakening.
In keeping with this message of education, the pair will be holding a viewing of the documentary film “FRESH”, directed by Ana Sofia Joanes. “FRESH”, which came out in 2009, has been shown in major cities around the country but has never premiered on the East End of Long Island, until now.
The film discusses the cost of America’s giant industrial farming complex, especially related to the current obesity epidemic, the addiction to chemically grown food, the impacts on the environment and the cost these issues are having on the population’s collective health.
But Joanes didn’t create the movie “FRESH” to simply showcase what she sees as the atrocities of America’s agribusiness. Instead the film plays out like a two sided coin; comparing big industry farming to local, sustainable farms.
Joel Salatin is one such sustainable farmer featured in the film. His farm located in Swoope, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley uses methods like field rotation and organic soil and is completely chemical free. Salatin’s farm produces chickens, turkey, rabbits and beef in an animal-friendly approach. His free range, chemical free farm stands in stark contrast to the industrial farms in the films, where gas mask attired men spray chemicals on just about everything and the animals are confined in small cages.
“We are in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy and healing the culture,” said Salatin in the film.
The message of Joanes’ movie is one of hope, of local grassroots movements who are taking small stands against big farming, like Milwaukee’s Will Allen with his goal to mitigate inner-city “food deserts,” and David Ball, owner of Hen House Market, selling local, natural food products at his store. Joanes’ said that these small steps can lead to a global change in the way people think about food.
“You could sit there and preach [about the negative effects of industrialized farming],” said Tomasini, but he would rather show positive alternatives. “‘FRESH’ is a great film because it gives you choices and suggestions” to deal with these problems, he said. In particular the film suggests consumers buy locally produced food from family farms, especially those dedicated to a sustainable and organic living.
“Every time you buy [your food] locally you are making a decision, you are making a vote…You are saying a lot with that dollar,” said Tomasini.
“The whole food situation is connected to the idea of free society,” he said. Drawing parallels to big agricultural conglomerates with Wall Street hedge funds and big oil companies, Tomasini said that these institutions are putting “profits in front of people.”
The local premier of the movie will be held on tomorrow, Friday, August 13th at the Core Dynamics Health and Fitness Gym, located on 58 Deerfield Road, Water Mill.
The movie is only one part of Friday’s event according to Nieto. A whole afternoon is planned around the film dealing with the issue of healthy living. The event starts at 3 p.m. with a fitness open house. Samplings of local food and wines will also be available at the event. Nieto believes that this event is a step in the right direction; and much like the actions by people in film, is something that can lead to a healthier future.
Nieto is most excited about a discussion forum that will be held after the movie with a panel of local food and health experts. The Panel includes local farmers such as Bette Lacina, Dale Haubrich, David Falkowski of Open Minded Organics, Roman Roth of Grapes of Roth, as well as Dr. Ronald Halweil, Chef Steve Frankel and Kate Plum, president of Slow Foods East End.
These farmers and food experts have been advocating and practicing many of the ideas of the film for years. From the local, sustainable farming of Lacina and Haubrich done on less than two acres in the village of Sag Harbor, to the recent boom in village farmers markets, the most recent being the one opened at the Ashawagh Hall in Springs last month.
Nieto has few expectations for what the panel discussion will bring, but said she primarily hopes for a lively audience.
“For us, if the quality of conversation is good then the whole screening will be a success. That is the main goal.”
Tickets for the event are $25 or $10 for members of Turtle Shell Health or Core Dynamics.
“The organic community is still a small world,” he said, hoping that his and Nieto’s “small efforts,” much like those showcased in the film, can help change that.
on Aug 13, 2010