Food, Inc. (movie review)

Chris MacDonald’s commentary appears originally and regularly on his blog The Business Ethics Blog, and is redistributed via 3BL Media with his expressed consent.

I finally saw Food, Inc. Frankly, I didn’t expect to like it much. I expected a one-sided, misleading anti-corporate tirade, along the lines of The Corporation. I was only partly correct. The main message really does seem to be that big companies are ruining everything, and that things would be better if we all just realized that we should be buying directly from the kindly farmer/sage down the road. But in spite of that slant, the movie does contain some useful stuff. So, my conclusion: a grudging endorsement. I think the film is flawed, but worth seeing.

First, I’ll note a couple of worthwhile take-away lessons, points that are made by the film and that seem well-justified.

Number one is that the meat industry is pretty disgusting. Most of the people who might be tempted to see Food, Inc. likely already knew that. But it’s a rotten industry. Injury rates for workers are high. Animals are treated badly. And quality control can be dodgy. The causes are pretty clear. Competition drives companies in all industries to cut corners in order to attract and keep customers. Sometimes that has undesirable effects. In the food industry, those effects can be pretty bad. Food, Inc. doesn’t tell us much that’s new, here, but it’s a useful reminder.

Number two: the corn subsidies in the U.S. are apparently insane. Those subsidies result in overproduction of corn (and hence of High-Fructose Corn Syrup). The result is that crappy food can be more affordable than nutritious food. Politically-powerful food companies like the subsidies (since they keep the price of ingredients down) so the food-buying public is likely to go on being subject to all the wrong incentives.

(For more on that topic, see the excellent 2007 documentary, King Corn.)

But in several ways the movie is less than satisfying.

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CSR Round-Up on Development Crossing

As corporate social responsibility has evolved into a major component of corporate strategy, so has the importance and urgency to “get it right.”  Firms are now forced to deal with the implications of undertaking a more responsible approach to doing business, both internally (building the business case for a CSR strategy) and externally (avoiding the trap of “green washing”).   And while the benefits of a “triple bottom line” approach may seem obvious, the road to get there remains unclear to many.

The section below presents key elements to consider when undertaking a CSR strategy, as well as relevant discussions for further insight.    We invite you to take part in the discussions and share your perspective with the Development Crossing network.

Fire Your CSR Department!

A provocative headline for an article but Chris raises some important points.  “Corporate social responsibility is a principle, not a department,” and therefore if it’s not fully integrated into the culture of an organization, does it stand a chance of living up to its promise?  Easier said than done, right?  Some companies are fortunate to have senior leadership that understands the importance of CSR, and have therefore built it into the corporate DNA, but what about those companies in which senior-management aren’t bought in to the principle?  A recent discussion by Cristiane tackles this topic.

Takeaway:  If it’s not being led from the top, you don’t stand much of a chance.

Breaking Down the Silos

While it’s no surprise that consumers are skeptical of many of the green marketing claims pushed into the marketplace, research consistently shows that they still desire more environmentally-friendly products.  So where do companies go wrong?  There are of course several answers to this question, from over-stating benefits to using misleading jargon, but what about the potential misalignment between Marketing and CSR within an organization.  How big is the gap and how do we close it? See Ruth’s recent discussion on the Two Silos of Marketing and CSR for more.

Takeaway:  The root cause of a failed green marketing campaign often has little to do with the campaign itself.

PR versus CSR

Can an organization credibly communicate about its contributions to society if CSR is still seen as a marketing issue, rather than a core principle of the company?  It’s possible, but it’s a risky approach to take given the connected world we live in these days in which consumers are very quick to criticize corporate efforts that don’t appear genuine.  Matthew looks at this topic deeper in his recent discussion, and presents some potential solutions for companies to follow.

Takeaway:  If CSR is an approach to doing marketing, rather than an approach to doing business, it will likely come back to haunt you.

Reporting your Progress

With the ever-increasing role that technology plays in our lives, many companies are going digital with sustainability reporting.  But with all the new media and technology at our disposal, how do we know what the best approach to take is?  Ben presents some new research on online sustainability reporting, and discusses the elements that successful reporters get right in a follow up discussion.

Takeaway:  Capitalize on the technological advancements of the day, but stay true to the elements that make a good sustainability report.

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Socially Responsible Business Supports South African Women

Elegant Roots Blog

Today Elegant Roots (www.elegantroots.com/) launches a new weekly blog feature, its Tuesday Tracts, by profiling Nadine Storyk Curtis who creates sustainable improvements in the lives of many women. Plaudits to Nadine. And welcome to you to the first of our series on people who deploy the power of socially responsible business.

Be Sweet is a company that exists to do good. Founded to build; to support. Is it ironic, or thoroughly expected that the impetus for it was an act of an altogether opposite cast?

Nadine Storyk Curtis and her husband were married in late August 2001, she from Northern California and he from South Africa. They were living in the States, but savored a dream to live someday in South Africa. On September 11, 2001, Nadine’s father was scheduled on United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. He did not board that flight on 9/11. But that tragedy and the personal near-miss helped Nadine realize the importance of living life to the fullest.  Within months they had packed up their life together and moved to Cape Town, South Africa.

In Cape Town, Nadine was enthralled with the mix of cultures in the area and fell in love with the beautiful handcrafted textiles created by women’s empowerment groups. www.elegantroots.com/Be-Sweet-mid-7-p-1.html She began to look into the whole process of mohair textiles. She wanted to help support these worthwhile endeavors and Be Sweet was born to tap the power of ethical business and her spirit of social entrepreneurship.

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Video: Why you need to be concerned about Social Media « Just Juiced

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