373: Aube Giroux on the Documentary “Modified”

Seeking out answers about food labeling.


Aube (pronounced ōb) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, organic gardener, and food blogger. She is the creator of “Kitchen Vignettes”, an online farm-to-table cooking show on PBS which received the 2012 Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Award and is a two-time James Beard Award nominee. Aube holds an MFA in Film Production from York University. Modified is her first feature-length documentary, which she wrote, directed and produced.

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In Modified, the filmmaker and her mother embark on a personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the United States and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world.  

In This Podcast:

Returning from a trip to Europe it became clear to Aube Giroux, that food labeling in North America was controlled by a very different set of rules and she sought to learn why. Documenting the process on video, she and her mother set out to learn about the labeling of genetically modified food ingredients, a journey that took a turn when her mother developed cancer. Instead of closing the project, she persisted and the resulting film garnered many indie awards.

Listen in and learn about:

    • A little about growing up in Canada with a gardening mother
    • Spending time in Europe for a few years and learning how food products are labeled
    • Getting active on the subject with her mother
    • Making and releasing the movie on her own
    • The focus on the right to know about our food
    • Discussing how seeds and foods are labeled
    • How her mother was such a huge part of the journey
    • Losing her mother to cancer in the middle of making the film
    • Some of what she learned about who is controlling the labeling
    • Some new changes that are setting the stage – Vermont’s groundbreaking law and how it was thwarted
    • Why GMOs are only part of the puzzle
    • Putting herself out there and vulnerable for attack is scary
    • The goal of asking for more information not to destroy companies
    • More about her video blog Kitchen Vignettes
    • Getting a screening set up for her film

As well as:

Her failure – The difficulty in getting her film funded, and receiving lots of rejection letters

Her success – The film Modified and overcoming all the various challenges to finish it

Her drive – Leave the world better than the way you find it

Her advice – Vote with the fork

“With every bite we eat, and with every food item we choose to buy, we are making a choice about the world we want to live in” –Jali Giroux. 

Aube’s Book recommendations:  

Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public, by Steven Drucker

Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land, Our Future by Caitlyn Shetterly

How to reach Aube:

Website: ModifiedTheFilm.com

Facebook: Modified the Film

Instagram: @KitchenVignettes

Twitter: @Aubergineblog

  

UrbanFarm.org/modified


Note: You can also find these books mentioned above for just a little bit more at one of our favorite local independent bookstores and know that you are supporting a small business.

*Disclosure:
Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you. 

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