Today truly is a Lazy Sunday. VeggaMom celebrated her 52nd birthday yesterday and requested a family game of tennis, which basically meant that we ran around the courts at my old high school making fools of ourselves. Last night we had a small family gathering; Dad made pad thai and veggies and I made some Chocolate Stout Cupcakes from VCTOtW for dessert, but I didn’t have a chance to photograph them. :( Anyway, today has been pretty low-key. I wanted to finish knitting a washcloth I began the other day, so I headed over to Hulu to find something to watch while I knitted. Instead of watching mind-numbing TV, I discovered The Future of Food, a full-length film available here.

The Future of Food is a few years old, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’ve got about an hour and a half to spare. It’s labeled as “an in-depth look into the controversy over genetically modified foods,” and it’s a great introduction to the basic facts regarding GMOs. Although I was familiar with most of the film’s main points, I did learn a few new – and shocking – facts. For example, although I was aware of gene patenting, I’d never thought about how far reaching its effects can be. Patenting genes connected with breast cancer – and then charging outrageous sums for their use – severely inhibits breast cancer research, and even though the film was released in 2004, this is still an issue. It’s simply disgusting.

I think it’s fantastic that this film is free to watch on Hulu; I feel that it’s the sort of thing to which all consumers should be exposed. I particularly appreciated that the filmmakers took a global approach to the effects of genetic modification and took pains to make clear that this is an issue that concerns the entire planet. The filmmakers have a comprehensive website with all sorts of informative resources. Check it out, and then check out the film when you’ve got time to spare and don’t want to feel guilty for spending an hour and a half piddling around the internet! ;)