That Sugar Film made its Canadian premiere in Toronto last week and I was so excited to be asked to help introduce the film and host a live Q&A session with Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau afterwards. Not only did he write and direct the film he also became a human guinea pig who, bravely, lent his body to this sugar science experiment.
You remember Supersize Me with Morgan Spurlock? Well, That Sugar Film takes on a similar storytelling device, but instead of pointing the finger at the sugar we all know is in junk food, Gameau takes on the sector of the food industry that markets itself as healthy.
The term ‘health washing’ is never used, but that’s essentially one of the core messages of the film. This is when food manufacturers jump on the health bandwagon and package their products with terms like ‘low fat’, ‘low sodium’, ‘natural’, or ‘lite’. Sound familiar? This kind of packaging is created to intentionally lead consumers to believe that item is a healthy choice even when it might not be. As a holistic nutritionist and former consumer affairs host (remember Street Cents?) I jumped at the chance to support That Sugar Film and its message.
Damon and I also had a chance to meet up at one of my favourite food shops: The West End Food Co-op to chat about the film and take a closer look at some commonly perceived “healthy” foods and do the sugar math for you.
Check out the trailer for That Sugar Film below.
