By MARLENE MILLOTT
A FEAST for the eyes is on the menu for the Dandenong Ranges as The Hills Food Frontier looks to screen a new fair food film.
The documentary Fair Food follows the work of Australian farmers, social entrepreneurs and communities pioneering new approaches to food productions, marketing and distribution.
Released this December, the film was produced by the national fair food campaigner the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) and food publishers and facilitators the Field Institute.
The Hills Food Frontier hopes to bring the film to the Dandenong Ranges in February or March next year.
The appetite for a fairer food culture was demonstrated when a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to produce the film went beyond its target. The fund-raising target of $25,000 was exceeded by $7000 within six weeks of launching the appeal.
ASFA National co-ordinator Dr Nick Rose says the film is the first feature-length documentary in Australia that tells the story of fair food pioneers.
“The film features outstanding individuals like Victorian free range pig farmer Tammi Jonas … ABC gardening guru Costa Georgiadis, and Australian rugby union star and fair food advocate David Pocock,” says Dr Rose.
The film aims to address issues in Australian food culture. Supermarket domination of the grocery market, dietary-related illnesses as a result of high junk food intake, and the struggles of Australian farmers are all highlighted in Fair Food.
The Hills Food Frontier co-founder Shakti McLaren hopes the film will raise awareness about the topics the film addresses.
“We live in a society that is dominated by two large supermarket chains… they don’t give farmers a fair price… Farms are closing and selling out,” she said.
The Hills Food Frontier is a community group that aims to inspire the people of the Dandenong Ranges to grow, cook and eat good foods.
Ms McLaren hopes the film will educate people and encourage them to get involved in their Good Food Buying Group.
