Do people have the right to know what is in their food?
FOCUS questions
Do people have the right to know what is in their food?
Immediately after watching the film, ask students what they think the foods you listed for the Opener have in common. Ask how many of them were surprised to learn how prevalent corn is in our food. Ask whether they think people have the right to know what is in their food.
DEEPENING questions
• In the film, food science Professor Larry Johnson says, “If you go and look on the supermarket shelf, I’ll bet you 90 percent of [the products] would contain either a corn or soybean ingredient. And most of the time, it’ll contain both.” Why might it be a problem that the majority of our food is made mostly from just corn and soybeans—so that nearly everything we eat contains them? • Many of us were surprised to learn that corn is so prevalent in our foods. Why do you think we were so surprised? Do you think the government and food producers have kept it a secret? Why don’t more people know this fact?
• [Using the corn-based food products you brought in for the Opener and the Corn from A to Z student handout, page 37, point out which ingredients are from corn.] Food labels actually do list corn-based ingredients, but not always in a recognizable way. How do you feel about ingredients being included in your diet without your knowledge?
• Whose responsibility do you think it is to inform us about what is in our food? Is it our responsibility to find out, the producer’s responsibility to make it more clear, or both? Why do you think so?
• If people are responsible for informing themselves about what is in their food, what would help them be more informed? If producers are responsible, what would be the more effective ways for them to inform people?
• The movie points out that cows and farm-raised fish, which are not biologically suited to eating corn, are now given a modified diet that is based on corn. Do you think people’s diets have been modified in a similar way? How do you feel about the possibility of your food being modified without you being aware of it?
REFLECTION
• Students to write their responses to the question “What can people do to be better informed about what is in the foods they eat?”