Food Evolution is a documentary that examines the resistance to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the effects that misinformation can have on objective analysis.
Kevin Folta is a professor in and chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. He expressed support for the movie and the information it provides to audiences. “This film is a true documentary in that it just followed the news that was unfolding at the time,” Folta noted.
Food Evolution follows Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy while he travels through Hawaii, Uganda and Iowa documenting the different experiences and attitudes encountered regarding GMO’s. One of the themes of the film was centered on the ability of consumers to accept scientific evidence on an emotionally charged topic. Folta described Kennedy’s work as a filmmaker as being “even-handed” and “socially responsible.”
Funding for the production was provided by the Institute of Food Technologists, an international, non-profit group based in Chicago. Food Evolution interviews experts with conflicting opinions on GMO’s, offering differing viewpoints in the film. Folta noted that many of the movies pertaining to GMO’s cast the technology in a negative light and “are blatantly misleading. They say things that are completely wrong with an intent to misinform, which I think is really sad.”
The movie is available on Hulu as well as iTunes. Folta described the role that farmers and ranchers play in spreading awareness and highlighting the necessity of technologies like GMO’s to ensure food security for a continually growing global population. “We just have to tell the truth and we if we don’t tell that story, someone else is going to tell it for us and they’re not going to tell the correct story,” said Folta.
Listen to the interview below.
Kevin Folta