It should be stated emphatically at the outset that obesity—the subject of “Fed Up,” produced by Katie Couric and Laurie David—particularly in the United States and other industrialized nations has unquestionably reached epidemic proportions.
It demands serious approaches guided by sound science. The filmmakers deserve credit for helping keep this major societal challenge front and center in our collective consciousness and for trying to move the debate in a new direction.
Unfortunately, their compass is broken. There was substantial media interest in the run-up to the theatrical release of the film. By the IFIC Foundation's count, it received an impressive 1.6 billion U.S. media impressions between May 1 and May 9 alone.
However, in the vast majority of the stories that have been written, balance has been the exception and not the rule. While all documentaries have a point of view, few have distorted reality, omitted context, or advanced so many dubious assertions so deftly as has “Fed Up.”
We would urge journalists to dig deeper and question the claims that have been made, ask the filmmakers to back up their statements with facts, and then analyze their answers critically. Watch the "Fed Up" film trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=71j8TPwkTQE.
Source: International Food Information Council