Modern-day food practices are reliant on a series of unsustainable methods — including fossil fuels and chemical-dependent genetically engineered (GE) organisms — that pollute Earth’s valuable resources such as our air, soil and water, as well as damage public health.

Our current food system, heavily treated with crop chemicals, is linked to myriad health problems including food allergies, gluten intolerance, gut and neurological dysfunction, immunodeficiency disorders and more.

Making healthy food choices is incredibly important, but can be a daunting task due to the extreme disconnect many of us have with the food we eat, as illustrated in the featured documentary “Digital Food.”

‘Food has Become a Black Box’

Food journalist Michael Pollan, who’s authored many books and articles explaining how nature and culture intersect on our plates and in our farms and gardens,¹ says not knowing where our food comes from creates a vicious cycle of unhealthy choices that results in sickness and disease not only for humans, but our planet too.

“Food has become a black box,” says Pollan. “When you’re buying a pound of hamburger, you know very little. You don’t even know what kind of animal it is.”

Most of the time, consumers have little to no details about the food they eat, including how the animal lived, where it came from, what it ate or how long ago it was slaughtered, says Pollan, who through his many thought-provoking books has educated millions about the downfalls of our current food system.

“It’s always been my conviction that the more people know about how their food is produced, the better choices they will make,” says Pollan.

“That can be very disruptive to the food industry,” he adds while being interviewed in the featured film, which explores the potential new technologies have in bringing transparency to our food system.