Stephanie Soechtig is uncovering more grim details about the food industry. She examined the effects of bottled water on climate change and pollution in 2009’s “Tapped” and the impact of sugar on Americans’ health in 2014’s “Fed Up,” and now she’s set to explore foodborne illness with “Poisoned,” her latest documentary. Variety confirmed the news.
Based on Jeff Benedict’s book ” “Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat,” the doc will “examine consumers’ misguided faith in the modern American food supply system and the presumption that the food we purchase is ‘safe.’ In reality, foodborne illness is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 48 million Americans suffering a foodborne illness, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths,” the source details.
“Poisoned will “reveal the twisted history of America’s food supply system, along with the stories of victims of notorious outbreaks and the criminal prosecutions that often resulted from the contaminations. It will follow the way food is distributed, as well as the bureaucratic red tape and collusion among lobbyists and lawmakers that works against addressing safety concerns. The filmmakers promise that the film will investigate, ‘How did we get to a place with 15 government agencies in charge of the country’s food, yet none of them can keep its citizens safe?'”
Soechtig is among the project’s exec producers.
“The food industry is so incredibly vast, flawed, and full of deceit, yet crucial to the well-being of our society,” said Soechtig. “For a filmmaker, there aren’t many topics as universal, timeless, and critical, and yet there are still so many stones left unturned. ‘Poisoned’ will dive into a whole new realm of baffling statistics, harmful presumptions, criminal acts, and coverups. There’s a lot to feed audiences.”
Soechtig’s other credits include “The Devil We Know” and “Under the Gun.” When we asked her advice for other women directors she said, “Surround yourself with women who are smarter than you.”
