Ingredients, at first glace, looks like another derivative documentary covering the green-ness of growing your own food.  But Ingredients actually takes a different angle at it’s subject.  Although most of the political concerns in the films are covered in several other, similar documentaries, Ingredients tries to show it’s audience the actual progress and examples of local growing, rather than preaching the politics of its subject.

Ingredients rightly avoids wasting time on what it’s audience already knows from films like Food Inc. After a very short animated clip of the evolution of the food industry (much like the animation from Bowling For Columbine), the film gets right into several types of food experts (chefs, farmers, scholars) and their views on the subject of locally grown foods. It’s almost inaccurate to call this an environmental documentary, because the argument for local growing is actually in the opposite direction.  Rather than “the environment is ruining, so we should grow locally”, Ingredients says “we should grow locally because of it’s own benefits, which happens to be great for the environment.”

The point, which really isn’t revealed until the final portion of the film, is to show a revolution cultivating from the “affluent” class.  As they catch on to locally grown foods, it will trickle ‘down’ to the rest of society.  At first Ingredients suggests that to really gain the benefits of better nutrients and taste, everyone ought to know as much as they can about the plants they are buying and their source.  On one hand, this is asking a lot of a working person, and Ingredients even admits that the sustainable growing is not feasible in feeding the world, due to  growing populations.  But even if an everyday person is unable to do so, this trend is already set in motion via chefs, scholars, and farmers, as well as a growing consumer population who have already come to see the benefits.

Overall, this is a well-made documentary which let’s the subjects talk for themselves, who seem interested, knowledgeable, and for the most part passionate.  Since it takes for granted the evils of processed food and environmental concerns, one could say it’s intended for those already bought into the green lifestyle.  But Ingredients doesn’t really use those in it’s main arguments, so it is probably the most accessible film of this type to anyone who doubts the politics of being green.

Rating – 3 /5

In other news, I have signed up for monthly carbon offsets, and am now carbon neutral. Well actually, I’m buying more than I consume, so I guess that makes me carbon negative. If you wish to do the same, here is the site. It’s pretty cheap.