Healthy eating doco to be distributed in Woolworths produce section
The maker of a documentary about a healthy eating journey has struck a deal with Woolworths to distribute his film in the fruit and vegetables section.
Australian Joe Cross, director and star of documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead will sell DVD copies of his film in Woolworths on the same day of its premiere on November 28.
Cross told Mumbrella: “I did the deal directly. Woolworths are supporting the film as their view is this is a film that inspires people to eat more fresh food and they’re the fresh food people.”
“Full marks to them for supporting an independent film and getting it seen,” Cross said.
Cross’s autobiographical story is like Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me but in reverse. An overweight broker, Cross sold his company and took off across the US with a cameraman, sound guy and a juicer. His aim was to slim down by eating only fruit and vegetable juice while discovering why people are addicted to fast food.
The film cost Cross, who financed it himself, approximately $2m. While Cross doesn’t expect a return on investment on the film – which is also distributed through iTunes – he has since created a business called Reboot Your Life which he plans to create weight watcher style meal plans around juicing.
Ironic that it costs more to live healthy than to by crap that’s highly processed from Woolies. Wonder what his weekly grocery bill is like?
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ffs… consuming only juice? that’s not exactly healthy.
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Ironic, maybe, but worth it. I’d pay the premium any day just to know that I am eating something healthy.
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Where is the irony. Please explain.
On another note, it’s a good documentary. Follows a very familiar format, but makes sense. Eat real food and you will be healthy. Eat crap processed food and you will put on weight and/or be ill.
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William, I agree. Being a health and fitness junkies ourselves, we pay a fortune for fruit and vege’s (not quite at the quantity he’s consuming here). My point is, if you want to convert people’s eating habits, I think there should be a pricing mechanism involved as well – even if it’s just to get them started.
Not sure if the farmers or Woolies would appreciate me saying that, though.
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Linda, that is true. However, everyone can obtain at least some fruit and vegetables relatively inexpensively. By shopping around in the markets, doing “pick-your-own” in season, asking friends who are lucky enough to have a surplus from their garden or orchard, starting your own allotment… the options are always there to avoid paying supermarket prices.
And yes, none of this discussion should take away from the excellent message that Joe Cross is communicating.
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It costs at least $7 for a large Big Mac meal, which isn’t even filling. I’m sure you could buy plenty of healthy food to cook at home for that price.
In fact, I know it costs a lot less, because I do that.
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I think we’re all talking in cross directions here. I’m referring to the cost of processed foods within the supermarket itself v’s fresh fruit and vege’s from within the same supermarket. Because, let’s face it, this is a promo for Woolworths.
Yes, the video is probably very good – and needed in our junk food obsessed society. But let’s compare the cost of snacking on a block of chocolate, sweet biscuits or chips. They’re all far less expensive than frappes made from mango, apples, berries, decent yogurt and bananas. Especially if you’re feeding a bunch of kids. And many of people who avoid healthy eating habits use cost as an excuse.
I agree that launching the video in store is great market positioning, being ‘the fresh food people’ and all. But what I am saying here is that they could make the promotion work much harder, and increase uptake of the video, by working in some sort of discount on their fruit and vege’s for a short period. Or providing bonus fruit and vege’s with $XX amount spent.
Unfortunately, if they did, they would probably screw the farmers down even more than they already do, rather than take a small dip in their profits for a week.
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Linda
I strongly encourage you to watch the documentary before you give a negative opinion on what it may or may not be about.
I can confidently say right now that it’s not an ad for Woolworths in any regard, the doco is actually the 2nd most watched one in the US at the moment and over there they are affiliated with Whole Foods.
Having a nationwide company such as Woolworths to distribute some seriously valuable educational and life changing material is a way of Joe getting his message out to the masses – because, well, if enough people are doing it, then everyone will start taking notice such as history has told us time again.
Woolworths also are not the only source of fruit and vege, just because the doco will be sold there doesn’t mean you are contractually obliged to buy from them – for example there are farmers markets around everywhere and they always have amazing organic foods for lower costs – plus you are supporting local business so it’s a bit win win really. Same goes for juicers, if you do the reboot you are not obliged to buy the Breville brand.
This documentary is a massive credit to Joe – one person can’t change the world, but one person can initiate the positive change that hopefully will be adopted by others with similarly good intent
Besides – let’s look at the bigger picture, this doco is not about making the fruit and veg cheaper for the gen pop – it’s about making everyone aware of how much we’ve strayed from a whole foods diet which is what our bodies are scientifically proven to benefit the most from.
We all know the world works on supply and demand – if people stop eating the crap and animal products because they’ve taken it upon themselves to ask questions and get educated then we will have more fruit and veg and yes it will reduce in cost.
I’d suggest you pick up a book called ‘The China Study’ and ‘Eating Animals’ and watch some other documentaries like ‘Forks Over Knives’ and ‘Food Matters’ – as the real question that everyone needs to start asking themselves is ‘how much is my health worth?’….I can’t help but find it funny how people are happy to spend a tonne on having a nice car/house/haircut/clothes/medication – but when it comes to our internal health and wellbeing it’s too easy to point the ‘it’s too hard’ finger of blame at others instead of embracing the valuable knowledge they have to share and the education that he took upon himself to fund and market to a population of vastly uneducated people and their diets.
Remember – we’re being fed lies, rather than get defensive over what I’ve written – do your own research into it all and form a well rounded – educated- opinion on our food industry
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As a vegetable farmer’s wife I feel I need to defend the cost of F&V in Australia. If you consider the effort and risk that goes into producing them, the cost seems tiny by comparison. Mars Bar for $2 or Banana for $1 (or less at current prices). Hamburger for $4 or tub of strawberries for $4. Tough choices.
Joe’s film is great and I think someone who is pushing a message to look at your lifestyle and what you consume should be supported.
The Woolworths deal is a good fit and hopefully will encourage more Australians to reconsider their health and lifestyle choices.
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