A new four-episode comedy series on streaming-TV service Hulu has drawn the wrath of farmers and the agricultural industry.
The show, a satire on what industrial agriculture will go through to promote a positive image, is produced by Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The first episode of “Farmed and Dangerous,” released in late February, focuses on farmers planning to feed cows food made from petroleum, which backfires when a cow explodes and a video of the incident goes viral.
Piro, the company that produced the video with Chipotle, told the New York Times the series is meant to strike large emotional chords, not sell burritos. Chipotle said the intention is to present choices and tell stories in a way that demonstrates that not everything is the same.
Right — choices between food that could potentially explode when you cook it and food made from organic animals like the ones Chipotle uses — tough call.
Chipotle didn’t do this to show people they have choices, they did it make their brand synonymous with food safety.
However, while funny, the series has the potential to feed ongoing consumer concerns — and misinformation — about how animals for consumption are raised and the safety of genetically modified species.
"What I do works best for me," Larry Sailer, a member of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, told USA Today. "Over the years, from my experience, I've evolved into what I think is best for the animals. [Chipotle] put down Big Ag, but they're Big Food. I just don't appreciate the way they are going at it."
USA Today also reported U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently emphasized the need for large-scale farm operations and maintaining their profitability.
"Commercial-size operations are important to this country and to our ability to continue to feed our people and the world's people," said Vilsack, a former Iowa governor. "At the same time, we have the responsibility to preserve and expand mid-sized operations coming up with new ways to create income opportunities so folks don't necessarily have to give up the farm."
Consumer misinformation has been one of the seafood industry’s longest uphill battles and GM salmon hasn’t been far behind in recent years, however while numerous farmer and agriculture groups have rallied against the series, no seafood industry group has released a statement.
I would certainly be interested in the seafood industry’s take on the series and its message.
