LES SCANDALES ALIMENTAIRES

For the past twenty years, food crises have followed one after another: mad cow disease, listeria-contaminated cheeses, dioxin-contaminated chicken, avian flu, horsemeat lasagna… Faced with the rampant industrialization of food, increasingly globalized distribution methods, and ever-growing scandals and food counterfeiting, how can we regain confidence in our food today? Consumers express their concerns, yet, from farm to fork, a growing number of men and women are producing and championing quality, flavorful food. The work begins at the borders. At Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, more than twenty veterinarians are on duty 7 days a week, inspecting everything entering the European Union. Within France, the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) brigades take over. Some are dedicated to protecting a unique product from a specific region. They warn against the sometimes dubious products sold in supermarkets: honey, for example, two-thirds of which is imported from France. Paul Schweitzer is a passionate scientist and director of an independent honey analysis laboratory. He explains how fake honey (sugar syrup!) has slipped unbeknownst to us into the jars we buy every day. In supermarket aisles, two journalists from 60 Million Consumers teach us how to decipher labels, how to spot marketing tricks… and how to understand how manufacturers, perfectly legally, sell us beef broth without beef, or strawberry yogurt without strawberries… And then there are those who are trying to change consumer habits, to initiate new distribution methods. The Mr. Goodfish program, which originated in Boulogne-sur-Mer, fights against overfishing and tries to change the eating habits of the French by reintroducing them to fish from our coasts that are too often overlooked. On the menu: whiting, horse mackerel, plaice… Much to the delight of our wallets! In Béarn, farmers have joined forces to set up a farm drive-through, fighting against the standardization of taste and the overwhelming power of supermarkets. An ingenious system where everyone can order online and then pick up their bulk purchases at the farm of their choice. Farm-fresh, local products at your fingertips! In Burgundy, other resisters are battling the homogenization of taste, with a food that is highly symbolic for the French: bread. Three people—a farmer, a miller, and a baker—have joined forces to work within a short supply chain and offer organic sourdough bread made from heritage and local grains. Their aim is to maintain sustainable agriculture, but also to broaden the French public's appreciation of bread. Eating better, eating differently… to preserve both our environment and our health, without ever forgetting our pleasure… Everyone interviewed in this film proves that this ambition is far from impossible! First broadcast on June 6, 2016 A film by Leni Mérat