In The Grass:

• What alternative might the companies have if they can’t find local people todo the work?

• If you think it is okay for companies to recruit foreign workers this way, what might be the repercussions of that?

• Whether or not you think illegal immigration (or the influx of undocumented workers) is a problem, how is illegal immigration connected to the food we eat?

Hidden Costs:

• In the film, we see that Stonyfield Yogurt is now owned by Groupe Danone,
Tom’s of Maine by Colgate, Kashi by Kellogg, and Burt’s Bees by Clorox,
which are all large corporations. What kinds of consumers do you think these products are geared for? How do you think those consumers might react to learning that the products are actually made by big corporations?

• As the film suggests, small companies and producers are often bought out
or taken over by very big companies. What might be the implications of that—both positive and negative?

• As portrayed in the film, cost and efficiency drive our current food system. Should price be the most important force behind our food industry? Why or why not? How might our food system change if it was driven by other values, like health or environmental sustainability?

• Yogurt company executive Gary Hirshberg says that Walmart started selling
organic yogurt not because of a “moral enlightenment,” but for economic
reasons. Do you think economics is a good enough reason by itself for
companies to make changes that affect our society? Why or why not?

Your post is due Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 8:15 a.m.