Food, schmood! Give me a cold glass of milk and a package of oreos and I’m in seventh heaven. It doesn’t matter that I’m a diabetic. I once ate fifteen ice cream bars in twelve hours, but who’s counting? I’ll admit it: I’m a sugar-freak. Even now, after tens of thousands of fast food burgers with pickles on top, tons of crisp french fried potatoes, and third-stage colon cancer, I still sneak a few extra blueberries on my Shreaded Wheat for breakfast. So, when I heard that Karl Weber, editor of Food, Inc., a participant guide to the documentary to the film of the same name was coming to Hunter Village, NY, I seized the opportunity to inteview him. Why? Because I, along with millions of other people, need to know how to eat properly and the reasons for it. Remember when your mother told you to eat everything on your plate because the children in Africa were starving and you couldn’t see the connection? It turns out that your mother was right (What else is new?): There is a definite connection, which you can learn more about if you attend the Village of Hunter’s day-long celebration of Food, Farms, Farmers & Sustainability on Saturday, August 29 from 10 am to 5 pm on the streets and in select buildings in the hamlet. There’ll be food, fun, farmers, music, magic and author/speakers like Karl Weber, who will speak at the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) Bookstore from 3-4 pm. Mr. Weber’s talk will be followed by a screening of the documentary film Food, Inc. at the Mountain Cinema across the road from the bookstore; there will be a fee to view the movie. All other activities throughout the day are free. There will also be three other festivals on Rte. 23A that day, stretching from Haines Falls to Prattsville, with admission to most activities free. Check out the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) Web site at www.catskillmtn.org, for more information. I’d like to thank Mr. Weber for this interview.

You are a writer and an editor by trade. Would you introduce yourself, briefly, to our readers.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been editing and co-authoring books in a range of nonfiction topics, from politics and social issues to business. I’ve edited books by statesmen and political leaders from President Jimmy Carter and Congressman Dick Gephardt to Senator Bill Frist. I’ve also collaborated on books with many notable thought leaders, including Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who created microcredit; Adrian Slywotzky, a consultant whom Fortune magazine named one of the world’s most influential business thinkers, and Jonathan Tisch, the CEO of Loews Hotels and a leading philanthropist and civic leader.

What drew you to the subject of your latest book, Food, Inc.?
You might assume that the editor of a book like this would be a “foodie”—a chef, an organic gardener or a nutritionist. But I’m just an ordinary person who shares the concerns that most people have about what their families eat. Last year, I was asked by the publishing house Public Affairs to work with the movie production company, Participant Media, on a companion book to their new movie, also called Food, Inc. That began my education in the amazing story of how our food system has been revolutionized in the past fifty years.

Can you tell us something about the film for which it is a “participant guide?”
Food, Inc. is directed by Robert Kenner, a gifted movie maker who was assisted by two writers who millions of people know as experts on our food system: Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and other important books about food. Through eye-opening interviews, amazing behind-the-scenes footage and dramatic stories, Kenner has pulled together a series of glimpses of the many ways our industrial food system has impacted our world—in terms of poor nutrition, environmental damage, exploitation of workers, economic distortions and so on. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has seen the movie is stunned by it as a powerful piece of film-making.

What did you learn about the industrial and fast-food industries while researching the subject?
Two lessons stood out for me. One is the increasing concentration of food production under the control of a relative handful of giant corporations with enormous economic and political power. Experience tells us that this kind of concentrated power is rarely good for society. The other is the control that these corporations would like to have—and often do have—over the national debate about food. Remember how Oprah was sued by beef producers after reporting on “mad cow” disease? Many more journalists and citizens have been silenced in the same way when they dared to challenge big agribusiness. It’s very disturbing.

Can you tell us what the impact of a fast-food giant like, say, McDonald’s has on American agriculture?
Because McDonald’s has so much sheer financial clout—they’re the world’s biggest buyer of beef, chicken, potatoes and many other commodities—they can dictate how our foods are produced. So the need for uniformity, speed and cheapness that dominates the thinking at McDonald’s has acquired a dictatorial power over the entire food system. That’s why the vast majority of our beef is now produced not in sunlit pastures where cows browse on grass, but in giant feed lots where cows are fed an unnatural diet of corn and live crammed together, ankle-deep in their own feces.

Why do you think that food-related issues such as world hunger, child obesity, rising food costs, water shortages and soil depletion are suddenly gaining critical mass in the minds of the ordinary individual?
Your question suggests the answer: Several of these problems are getting to the danger stage at the same time, forcing people to pay attention to the connections among them. Global warming is nearing the point of no return. Water shortages are already stimulating conflicts among tribes, communities and nations around the world. Chronic disease rates are rising: the latest estimate is that one American in three born after the year 2000 will suffer from diabetes. What all these problems have in common is a shared contributory cause—a dysfunctional food production system.

Has editing Food, Inc. changed your eating habits?
Yes. I now eat less meat, both for reasons of personal health and for environmental reasons: meat production is one of the least efficient ways of using natural resources to feed people. My family has also subscribed to a local Community-Supported Agriculture program that pays local farmers to deliver fresh produce to our door once a week. My wife and I are learning about the new foods we’ve been receiving and enjoying healthier diets in the process. But I confess you’ll still catch me enjoying a hot dog at a Mets game from time to time!

Karl Weber will be speaking at the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) Bookstore on Saturday, August 29 from 3 to 4 pm, as part of Hunter’s day-long celebration of Food, Farms, Farmers & Sustainability. Please visit www.catskillmtn.org for a complete schedule of events. For more information about Karl Weber, please visit www.karlweberliterary.com. For more information about Food, Inc., please visit www.foodincmovie.com.