Official Selection of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival
DIRECTED BY Stephanie Soechtig Run Time: 99 Minutes http://fedupmovie.com http://www.facebook.com/FedUpMovie http://twitter.com/fedupmovie
SHORT SYNOPSIS Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (producer of the Oscar-winning AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever.
SYNOPSIS In 1977, the U.S. Government issued the McGovern Report, its first ever dietary guidelines and with it, one of the greatest health epidemics of our time ensued. In her documentary feature debut, executive producer and narrator Katie Couric joins Laurie David (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH), Regina Scully (THE INVISIBLE WAR) and director Stephanie Soechtig (TAPPED) to explore why, despite media attention and government policies to combat obesity, generations of kids will now live shorter lives than their parents. Upending the conventional wisdom of why we gain weight and how to lose it, FED UP unearths the dirty little secret your favorite brands/restaurants don’t want you to know - far more of us get sick from what we eat than anyone ever realized and this is in large part due to the fact that 80% of the 600,000 items sold in grocery stores have added sugar. Following a group of families – the children of whom are the hardest hit demo because unbeknownst to them or their parents, they’re being force fed food with added sugar – for more than two years, Soechtig achieves a profound intimacy as they document their uphill battles to follow the conventional wisdom of 'diet and exercise', in order to live healthier, fuller lives. In captivating interviews with the country's leading experts, FED UP lays bare a decades-long misinformation campaign orchestrated by Big Food and aided and abetted by the U.S. Government.
THE CHILLING FACTS
Between 1980 and 2000, fitness club memberships more than doubled across the United States. During that same time, the obesity rate also doubled.
Cases of Type 2 diabetes diagnosed among adolescents (ages 8-19) in 1980: 0 Cases of Type 2 diabetes diagnosed among adolescents (ages 8-19) in 2010: 57,638
From 1977 - 2000, it's estimated that Americans have doubled their daily intake of sugar.
In 1981, as part of the National School Lunch Act, President Ronald Reagan cut $1.46 billion dollars out of the child nutrition budget. As a result, government got rid of cooking equipment and turned to the food industry for a cheap, simple alternative: In 2006, 80% of all high schools operated under exclusive contracts with soda companies. By 2012, more than half of all U.S. school districts served fast food. Since 1995, the government has provided over eight billion dollars in subsidies for cornbased sweeteners. *Corn based sweeteners include High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Crystalline Fructose and are added to our foods and beverages. * In addition to acting as a sweetener, they are used in food for a variety of reasons. The Corn Refiners Association’s website brags that various corn sweeteners are used to keep salad dressings evenly dispersed and reduce the taste of vinegar, keep lunch meats and hot dogs evenly mixed, and improve the texture and color of canned fruits and vegetables. http://www.corn.org/products/sweeteners/ *Between 1970 and 1990, the consumption of HFCS increased more than 1000%. (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/537.full.pdf) *A typical 20-ounce bottle of soda contains about 16 teaspoons of sugars from highfructose corn syrup. http://www.cspinet.org/new/201302131.html 60%.
Between 2008 and 2010, children's exposure to junk food ads (including online) increased
*Black children saw more than twice the number of television ads for energy and sports drinks, and 93 percent more for regular soda compared with their Caucasian counterparts. *Between 2008 and 2010, Hispanic children saw 49 percent more television ads and teens saw 99 percent more ads on Spanish-language television for sugary drinks and energy drinks compared with their Caucasian counterparts.14 http://fasinfat.org/food-marketing/ and http://www.sugarydrinkfacts.org/resources/sugarydrinkfacts_report.pdf
By 2010, two out of every three Americans were either overweight or obese.
80% of the 600,000 food products sold in this country have added sugar.
WHO (World Health Organization) recommended that no more than 10% of calories in a daily diet should come from sugar. The sugar lobby urged the US to recommend that 25% of calories in a daily diet should come from sugar - 2.5x the WHO recommendation. On food labels today, sugar is not listed with a percentage for the daily recommendation.
1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams. The American Heart Association’s daily allowance of added sugar is 6-9 teaspoons but, your body actually requires NO sugar whatsoever.
In a recent study, 43 cocaine-addicted laboratory rats were given the choice of cocaine or sugar water over a 15 day period: 40/43 chose sugar.
Studies show that children as young as 2 and 3 start to recognize brands.
Several studies show that when children are watching television, especially shows with food commercials, they’re primed to eat more. One study had kids watching TV with a bowl of goldfish crackers to munch on while they were watching. The kids that watched programs that showed food commercials ate 45% more goldfish crackers compared to kids watching the same program with non-food commercials.
The cost of bariatric (weight loss) surgery starts at $10,000. The annual number of weight loss surgeries has increased nearly five-fold since 2001. Bariatric surgery risks include: Excess Bleeding, Infection, Blood clots, Ulcers, Hernia, Gallstones, Gastrointestinal leaks, Death 30% of bariatric (weight loss) surgery patients regain the weight within 24 months of the surgery. 30% of Americans are obese. Up to 40% of normal weight people have the same metabolic dysfunction as those who are obese. So, 51% of the US population is sick with metabolic dysfunction. TOFI – coined by Dr. Jimmie Bell, TOFI stands for thin on the outside, fat on the inside. When you slide someone into an MRI, and you actually visualize the fat, they might as well be obese, in terms of what you see on the inside. *It’s not how much you weigh, it’s how much fat you are harboring that you don’t even know about. *You can be normal body weight and have layers of fat around your internal organs leading to the same risk factors for diseases commonly associated with obesity – heart disease,
insulin resistance, diabetes, stroke, cancer, dementia.
Obesity rates worldwide: US: 31.8% Mexico: 32.8% Czech Republic: 28.7% New Zealand: 27% United Kingdom 24.9% Hungary 24.8% Lithuania 24.7% Saudi Arabia 35.6% Malaysia 19.5 Sweden 11% Norway 10% South Africa 8.8%
At our current rate: By 2050, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes. In two decades, 95% of Americans will be overweight or obese.
It’s the first time that more people will die from obesity than starvation.
WHERE SUGAR HIDES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.
Agave Nector Barley malt Barbados sugar Beet sugar Blackstrap Molasses Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane juice crystals Cane sugar Caramel Corn syrup Corn syrup solids Confectioner’s sugar Carob syrup Castor sugar Crystalline fructose Date sugar Demerara sugar Dextran Dextrose Diastatic malt
22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56.
Diatase Ethyl maltol Evaporated cane juice Florida crystals Fructose Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Galactose Glucose Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Grape sugar HFCS (High Frustose Corn Syrup) Honey Icing sugar Invert sugar Lactose Maltodextrin Maltose Malt syrup Maple syrup Molasses Muscavado sugar Organic raw sugar Panocha Raw sugar Refiner’s syrup Rice syrup Sorghum syrup Sucrose Sugar (granulated) Treacle Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar
Q&A WITH DIRECTOR STEPHANIE SOECHTIG 1)
Talk about the evolution of FED UP and how the film was made.
Katie Couric had me on her online show when I was promoting my last film TAPPED and I was completely taken with her. As I was leaving her show I awkwardly blurted out, “Hey, if you ever want to do a documentary call me!” Much to my surprise she actually did call me and told me about this idea she had for a film about food. Katie felt that the far-reaching consequences of the obesity epidemic weren’t getting enough attention and that people weren’t paying attention to the fact that overweight kids suffer in so many other ways besides their actual weight.
The first thing my producer, Sarah Olson, and I did was to start casting kids. We sent flip cameras to a group of about six kids starting in 2010 – we didn’t have funding yet for the film so initially I never thought we’d end up using these video diaries – I had planned on using the material for background information only. The kids would send us back their cameras every two weeks for us to download and return and what we ended up getting back from these kids was so incredibly powerful that it became clear it would surpass any material we’d get in an interview. While these kids were filming and sending back their cameras, I started the research process, which began with a timeline of the obesity epidemic. What was supposed to be a one-page overview became a 30-page timeline that read like a murder mystery – very clear events contributing to the obesity epidemic emerged. I thought I knew everything there was to know about food issues but my mind was completely blown. Suddenly I was seeing the video diaries from these kids through a very different lens. I could see government policy, marketing, and industry-funded science actually playing out in these kid’s lives! 2) Your executive producers Katie Couric, Laurie David, and Regina Scully are all very notable individuals, how did they become involved in the film and issue? Katie is friends with Regina Scully and reached out to her very early on. Regina had just released MISS.REPRESENTATION and instantly jumped on board. About a year and a half into the project, Katie and I were strategizing what we wanted the film to accomplish and we said that we wanted FED UP to have the same impact on how people see food as AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH had on how people see climate change. So we reached out to none other than Laurie David to help realize those goals! 3) How did you obtain access to distinguished political players (ie. President Bill Clinton) for the film? Katie’s name opens many doors. I think everyone knows that if Katie Couric is involved, the project will have a lot of integrity and will be a very fair examination of the issue. 4) What do you think the reasoning is behind larger companies, such as Coca Cola, declining to contribute their thoughts to the film? I think they were afraid. I think there are a lot of inconvenient facts that make the food and beverage industries nervous. It’s much easier for them to put out a contained message that “we care about obesity” and “we want to be part of the solution” than it is to sit down and have an honest conversation. Now they’ll probably say it’s because of all the sensationalized news stories that are unfairly edited, which is why audiences should pay particular attention to the one interview in the film we did with David Allison, to whom the American Beverage Association told us to speak on their behalf. There is not one edit to his interview - and we did that on purpose so
the audience could see this wasn’t just a clever editing trick. We did have to cut him off eventually because his bit went nowhere, but I knew when I partnered with Katie on this, that we’d have to maintain a high standard of journalistic credibility - I also come from a journalism background of producing news stories and segments. The industry knows Katie is one of the country’s most respected journalists and they were afraid to have the truth come out. 5) What are some of the difficulties you and your team faced during production, and how did you overcome them? Casting the kids was really hard – how many teenagers want to talk about their greatest insecurity in such intimate detail? The way around it was just that we followed a bunch of them and the core kids featured in the film were the ones most responsible with turning in their video diaries every few weeks. Interweaving the narratives of the kids with the talking head experts was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. Trying to find the right balance between the two took us an incredibly long time with a lot of trial and error. There was such an immense amount of information to cover, plus we had hundreds of hours of video diaries that between the two, we got lost in the footage for quite some time. That’s where our writer Mark Monroe became an incredible asset because he was able to take a three hour film and chip away to get at the most critical information. I was too close to the information by that time and couldn’t really see the forest from the trees. His fresh set of eyes and innate talent was incredibly helpful. 6)
What would you like the audience to take away from FED UP?
I really hope the audience leaves feeling with a sense of obligation. The system isn’t going to fix itself – we all need to get involved if we want things to change and my greatest hope is that the audience leaves feeling angry and empowered to do something about the problem.
Q&A WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KATIE COURIC 1) Please talk about how you became involved with FED UP and why you decided to participate in the film. I've been in the news business for 35 years and I noticed that as time went by, I was covering more and more stories about childhood obesity. But they were always snapshots of information – the latest study, the newest shocking statistic. I felt frustrated that no one was taking a truly comprehensive look at the problem – what was causing it, how have we changed our diets, what should we be doing differently – but instead took conventional wisdom and repeated it over and over again. The consequences of childhood obesity were frightening. Not just for the children being impacted, but for our health care system, national security and even global competitiveness. When I interviewed Stephanie Soechtig for her documentary TAPPED, I asked her if she would consider tackling the epidemic in a more thoughtful, holistic way. 2) The growing rate of obesity amongst young children, even toddlers and infants, are rising, what advice would you give a new family to stay out of those statistics? I think it’s clear from our film that it is easy for children to become addicted to the wrong kind of foods from an early age. It's critically important to introduce different foods to children at a young age and get their palates acclimated to healthy meals and ingredients. I believe what many of our experts in the film said: Eat real food and cook and buy food that isn’t packaged and processed with a huge number of ingredients, preservatives and a lot of hidden sugar. One of the most shocking things explored in the film is the effect of the low fat craze that began in the early 1980s—in place of fat, sugar was being used to make products taste better. Now I look at the labels to try and determine how much sugar is in products—it’s more than I had ever imagined. As we show in our film, some products are so laden with sugar, like low fat peanut butter and low fat salad dressing. I always thought that low fat would be a healthier choice, but I’ve learned it really isn’t necessarily the case. 3) From the film, we learned the shocking fact that “a calorie is not really a true calorie”. Did this transform your everyday consumption of food and beverages? I had been aware of this notion because of my interest in the topic and through the work on this film over the past three years. When it comes to fruit, I try to eat raw, real, whole fruit instead of fruit juice. Even “healthy” juices, like grapefruit and orange, are full of sugar and are digested differently. I try to eat food that isn’t immediately absorbed and requires my body to do some work. I know these foods will keep me satiated longer. For example, I try to eat raw almonds instead of a bag of potato chips.
4) What can we do as consumers to help shift the pendulum? What do you think the next step of action should be? I think the most important way to shift the pendulum is to be aware and become more knowledgeable about the food we’re buying and consuming. It’s important to look at labels, make sure you know what’s in your food, and realize that foods labeled “natural,” “organic” or “healthy” aren’t necessarily so. Getting “fast food” out of cafeterias is also very important and would be a huge improvement. I think it’s shameful to offer nutrition-less food to kids in school, and as we saw from the cafeteria worker interviewed in the film, we can’t expect kids to make healthy choices when junk foods that they’ve been eating all their lives are also available. 5)
What would you like audiences to take away from FED UP?
I hope this film provides a comprehensive look at our country’s growing obesity problem and teaches people what they can do at home to change their family's health. I hope long held beliefs will be challenged and re-evaluated. I hope those who watch this film will see how we are being brainwashed at an early age by the food industry and the power of that lobby to prevent our legislators from making any meaningful changes. And I hope people will get mad and demand change. Our k i d s are the lab rats in this diet/experiment gone horribly wrong. They represent the clearest indicator of what we, as a nation, are doing to ourselves.
Q&A WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER LAURIE DAVID 1) Please talk about how you became involved with FED UP and why you decided to participate in the film. Katie and Stephanie had been working for awhile on an idea to do a film about obesity when I woke up one morning to an email from Katie. We had met once but I didn’t know her well. She was reaching out to see if I would consider working with them to help do for obesity what AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH did for global warming. I was already engaged in food issues through my first cookbook The Family Dinner, and it literally took me one second to hit the reply button-YES! I think FED UP does a really good job laying out the landscape of issues that contribute to our problem, and I say ‘our’ problem because this problem impacts all of us. We have to change what we eat and drink and when and how we eat it. We all have to start cooking again. We also have to change the culture of food that stimulates eating 24/7 and uses candy and ice cream as rewards. Our government must start protecting innocent children by regulating advertising to them. We have to seriously improve school lunches and ban fast food from school premises-vending machines, too. We have to have real truth in labeling and not allow corporations to hide the amount of sugar in their products. Sugar is sugar and labels need to list the daily recommended amount of sugar, just like they do for other ingredients. That will go a long way towards changing people’s minds about buying processed food in the first place. We also have to switch the measurement, which currently lists the amount of sugar in grams to the more widely understood teaspoon. This will help people better visualize how much sugar they are really consuming. 2) With all the known diseases associated with the overconsumption of sugar, why do you think America has continues to overlook such consequences? Well I think there is plenty of blame to go around including the FDA, USDA, the weakened state of the Surgeon General’s office, and the food/beverage/snack industry. FED UP will give you a good primer in how we got here in the first place. 3) Would you say FED UP is targeted towards raising awareness of the US government’s collaboration with the food industry, create awareness in the average American household, or a mixture of both? Honestly FED UP is a must see movie for anyone who eats. I thought I knew a lot about food, but I learned so much in the course of making this movie. Even if you think you’re eating well, or you’re healthy, this is a film you need to see. Everyone should watch this movie, because we are operating in a climate where so much misinformation is causing so many problems. It is going to take a cultural shift, the size of which we haven’t seen in a long time, to turn the tide. 4) What can we do as consumers to help shift the pendulum? What do you think the next step of action should be? It is time for some serious moral outrage. It’s time to take back our children’s and our country’s health. The good news is that there really are simple solutions to this problem. First and foremost, everyone has to start cooking. And, after you make dinner, you need to try and sit down as a family, screens off! and together enjoy that wonderful meal. We need to use our purchase power and stop buying food that has a long list of unpronounceable ingredients that make us sick and addicted.
Every parent with a school-aged child should start pressuring their school to eliminate vending machines, change the snack culture and improve school lunches. Change your church’s pizza night to homemade soup night. It can be as simple as drinking water and saying no to soda or Gatorade. It’s about eating fruit not drinking it. It’s about putting pressure on companies to stop advertising and marketing to young children. It’s as simple as not buying cereal for breakfast anymore and making something healthier instead. 5)
What would you like audiences to take away from FED UP?
That enough is enough. I can tell you, I am fed up and I hope everyone that watches the movie will feel that way, too. The exciting thing is that we can all take back control of what we eat and what our future will look like. One in three kids expected to have diabetes by mid-century is completely, totally, categorically UNACCEPTABLE. It is a tragedy when you understand that it is also completely PREVENTABLE. We have to do better. Each and every one of us can be part of the change we need to see. Starting with the very next thing we eat or buy. 6) Were there any key learnings from making AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH that you were able to
apply to FED UP? Yes. I learned how important it is to tell the story as compelling but simply as possible. In fact, this project reminded me a lot of making that film because it is all about searching for the truth and connecting the dots for the general public. They are both big, tough, complicated subjects. But, if you can get people to see a movie about a subject like global warming, you can tackle anything. Have you seen significant changes in the documentary film landscape since AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH? 7)
I have. It feels to me that docs are getting a little more respect these days. In many cases, they are the best investigative reporting done today. Passionate writers, producers, directors who devote years to uncovering the truth about a particular subject and that is just to make the film! Then they spend the next year, with no pay, immersing themselves in social media campaigns advocating for change! Doc filmmakers are heroes in my book! Look at THE INVISIBLE WAR, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, BLACKFISH as just a
few recent examples.
FED UP AMBASSADORS Amanda Hesser Andy Bellati Ann Cooper Anthony Bourdain Aviva Goldfarb Bruce Blumberg Bryant Terry Casey Hinds Catherine McCord Curt Ellis Dan Barber Dr. David Katz Dr. David Ludwig
Dr. Frank Lipman Dr. Marisa Weiss Dr. Mark Hyman Dr. Robert Lustig Dr. Yoni Freedhoff Dylan Ratigan Fedele Bauccio Gigi Lee Chang Greg Critser Harold Goldstein Harvey Karp Jamie Oliver Jeff Ritterman Kate Adamick Kelly Brownell Ken Cook Lauren Shweder Biel Marc Vetri Margo Wooton Maria Rodale Mario Batali Michel Nischan Mike Jacobson Mike Johnson Nancy Huehnergarth Nicole Avena Paula Daniels Peter Glatzer and Adrien Robert Egger Robyn O'Brien Rocco diSpirito Sheryl Crow Tom Colicchio Urvashi Rangan Wendy Sue Swanson
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS STEPHANIE SOECHTIG (Director, Producer) is the director and producer of the award- winning documentary TAPPED. Her directorial debut was hailed by critics as “stunning” and “whip-smart” and went on to sweep film festivals across the country while picking up six awards for Best Documentary Feature. Stephanie began her career in television, producing documentaries for 20/20, Primetime Live, The O’Reilly Factor and VH1. She joined forces with Michael and Michelle Walrath in 2008 to start the production company, Atlas Films. EVE MARSON (Producer) born and raised in New York City and received her BA from Harvard University. Eve has worked as a producer on a wide variety of documentary projects, including television programming for PBS, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet and independent feature films such as CRAIGSLIST JOE. Eve has also produced and directed a large library of nonfiction video work in collaboration with GOOD Inc. and Strategic Productions. SARAH OLSON (Producer) has been producing, developing, and managing documentary projects for television and film for the last fifteen years. Her work has aired on the Documentary Channel, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, and TLC. Sarah came to Atlas Films more than 6 years ago to work as the Line Producer on the award-winning documentary, TAPPED. Now, she has taken on the role of Vice President of Development and Producer in growing Atlas Films viral films branch, as well as producing the company’s next documentary feature- FED UP. Sarah received her BA from Indiana University. MARK MONROE (Writer) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose theatrical writing credits include: "The Summit", (Winner, Best Editing Sundance 2013); “Who is Dayani Cristal?”, (Winner, Best Cinematography, Sundance 2013); “Sound City”; “The Cove” (Winner, Best Documentary 2010 Academy Awards & Best Documentary Script, W.G.A. 2010); “The Tillman Story”; “Chasing Ice” (Winner, Best Cinematography Sundance 2012); “Stolen Seas”; “Last Play at Shea”; “Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos”, (W.G.A. nomination "Best Documentary Script", 2007); “Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who”, and writer/director, “Morning Light”, Disney Pictures. A journalism graduate from the University of Oklahoma, Mark began his career in television as a newswriter for CNN in Atlanta. Before writing for film, he produced more than sixty hours of biography-style programming for TV. Currently, Mark is working on academy award winner Louis Psihoyos' follow-up film to "The Cove", as well as “Another World” a film about the Occupy Movement and “Mission Blue” on legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle. KATIE COURIC (Narrator, Executive Producer) (@katiecouric) is the host of Katie, a daily syndicated daytime talk show that premiered in September 2012. She is an
award-winning journalist and TV personality, well-known cancer advocate, and New York Times best-selling author of The Best Advice I Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives. In November 2013, Couric joined Yahoo as Global Anchor, where she will help develop Yahoo News’ coverage, report on live world events, and anchor groundbreaking interviews with major newsmakers. Couric joined the Disney/ABC Television Group in summer 2011 and served as special correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week, and primetime news specials. In September 2006, Couric joined CBS News and became the first female solo anchor of an evening news broadcast. On May 31, 2006, Couric completed a 15-year run as co-anchor of NBC News’ Today Show. Couric is a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), co-founder of the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA) with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and Lilly Tartikoff, and co-founder of the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health. Born in Arlington, VA, Couric graduated with honors from the University of Virginia. She lives in New York with her two daughters. LAURIE DAVID (Executive Producer) For over a decade Laurie David has brought her passion and dedication to a variety of important environmental and food issues. Her most recent book, The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time, is an inspirational, practical and green guide to the vital family dinner ritual and how to accomplish it in today’s busy world. She is working on her second cookbook, The Family Cooks, which is scheduled to be published Mother's Day 2014. Laurie was a producer of the 2006 Academy Award winning documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, executive produced the HBO documentary Too Hot NOT to Handle, and the TBS comedy special Earth to America! She also authored the bestselling book Stop Global Warming: The Solution is You! and co-authored The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, which has been published in over eight languages. For her first film project since AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, Laurie has partnered with Katie Couric to executive produce FED UP, a feature-length documentary that will examine the causes and impact of the childhood obesity epidemic. Directed by Stephanie Soechtig (TAPPED), Fed Up will help change the way Americans look at food. Laurie has received numerous awards and honors, including the Producers Guild of America’s Stanley Kramer Award, a Humanitas Prize Special Award and a Gracie Allen Award. Laurie has been honored with the Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award, the Feminist Majority’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award and the NRDC Forces for Nature award. Laurie, a regular blogger on the Huffington Post, has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
She was named a 2006 Glamour Woman of the Year and has been profiled in People, Glamour, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle, Wired, House & Garden, The New York Times and Vanity Fair. REGINA K. SCULLY (Executive Producer) is the Founder and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to developing and promoting media, education and healing projects that transform our culture. Ms. Scully also is the Founder and CEO of RPR Marketing Communications, a premier Public Relations Agency, NYC, specializing in exclusive consumer products and brands.. A 30-year veteran in the fields of Journalism, Public Relations, Brand Marketing and Filmmaking, Scully has a successful track record of building and producing successful premier brands, projects, and films that integrate cause-related issues, social media, and outreach campaigns. Scully is an Academy Award nominated executive producer, most recently for the 2013 powerful documentary called the INVISIBLE WAR - a film about the epidemic rapes of women and men in the military. THE INVISIBLE WAR won the 2012 Sundance Audience Award. Scully also executive produced MISS REPRESENTATION, a compelling documentary exposing the gender bias that still exists in our country based on the limited portrayals of women and young girls in our media, politics and entertainment. Scully is a co- founder of www.therepresentationproject.org. Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network acquired MISS REPRESENTATION. Scully helped spearhead the development and distribution of its critically acclaimed corresponding national curriculum. And Scully is also involved in the film, FED UP, a compelling documentary that deals with the growing epidemic of obesity in America. In addition to filmmaking, Scully is deeply passionate about Education reform, and has helped launch some of the most successful inner city charter schools in the country: the Success Academy Schools, in NY (www.successacademies.org); and the Making Waves Academy Schools in NorthernCalifornia (www.makingwaves.org). Scully sits on the following Boards: Georgetown University Board of Regents; Stanford University Board of Philanthropy and Civil Society, CA; Project ALS, NYC; Harvard Women’s Leadership Board; VDay Board; The Representation Project (www.therepresentationproject.org); and the Women’s Media Center, NYC. HEATHER REISMAN (Executive Producer) is the founder, Chair and CEO of Indigo, Canada’s largest book and lifestyle retailer, and co-founder of Kobo, a leading global eReading company. Ms. Reisman was born in Montreal and educated at McGill University. A past Governor of McGill University and of the Toronto Stock Exchange, she currently serves on the Boards Onex Corporation, Right To Play, and Mount Sinai Hospital. She is also a member of the Bilderberg Steering Committee, a geo-political think group. Ms. Reisman is a recipient of The Order of Canada, holds Honorary Doctorates from 4 distinguished universities, and has been named to the Financial Times List of Most Powerful Women, The University of Waterloo Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. She also
earned the the University of Manitoba International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and the John Molson School of Business Award of Distinction. Ms. Reisman is married to Gerald Schwartz, Chair and CEO of Onex Corporation. She has four children and nine grandchildren. MICHAEL WALRATH AND MICHELLE WALRATH (Executive Producer) along with filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig co-founded Atlas Films in 2008, with the goal of creating entertaining films with social messages. Atlas' first film is the award-winning documentary Tapped. Michael is the co-founder and a managing partner of WGI Group, a private equity firm based in New York City. He is also co-founder and chairman of Moat Inc. and chairman of the board of Yext. He was the founder and CEO of Right Media before its acquisition by Yahoo! in July 2007. After the sale of Right Media, Michael spent two years at Yahoo! as Senior Vice President, and was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The YearŽ 2007. Michelle and Michael manage The Walrath Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on social, environmental and health issues, with a special emphasis on children’s health. Michelle is also the founder of Dreamingreengirl.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to helping young women find healthy living.
ABOUT THE EXPERTS: DR. MARK HYMAN - Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician and an internationally recognized authority in the field of Functional Medicine -- a revolution in 21st century medicine that provides a new road map for navigating the territory of health and illness. He is founder of The UltraWellness Center where he treats patients using this new model in his medical practice. Dr. Hyman is the author of multiple New York Times best-sellers, including The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook, The Blood Sugar Solution, The UltraMind Solution, The UltraSimple Diet, and UltraMetabolism. He is also Chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine; is on the Board of Directors of the Center for Mind Body Medicine in Washington DC; on the Board of Advisors and faculty for the "Food as Medicine" training program; and is a part of Memhet Oz's HealthCorps. In each of these capacities he actively advocates for fundamental changes in healthcare -- changes that takes into account diet, lifestyle, and personalized treatment based on the paradigm of functional medicine as essential components for medical education and practice. http://drhyman.com/ DR. ROBERT LUSTIG - Robert H. Lustig is an American pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. He practices in the field of neuroendocrinology, with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. He also has a special interest in childhood obesity. Dr. Lustig is the author of the book “Fat Chance: beating the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity, and disease”. He has authored over 85 research articles and 45 book chapters. He is a former chairman of the Obesity Task Force of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, a member of the Obesity Task force of The Endocrine Society, and on the Steering Committee of the International Endocrine Alliance to Combat Obesity. http://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.lustig DR. DAVID LUDWIG - David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD is a pediatrician and endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital, Boston. He holds the position of Professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor in Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Ludwig is founding director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program, described by Child Magazine as one of the most comprehensive pediatric obesity clinics in the country. Since the early 1990s, he has provided medical care for several thousand overweight children and their families. Described as an “obesity warrior” by Time Magazine, Dr. Ludwig has fought for fundamental policy changes to restrict food advertising directed at young children, improve quality of school nutrition programs and increase insurance reimbursement for obesity prevention and treatment programs. http://www.endingthefoodfight.com/About.htm MARGO WOOTAN - Margo Wootan is the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), one of the country's leading health advocacy organizations that specializes in food, nutrition, and public health issues. Wootan co-founded and coordinates the activities of the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA), a coalition of more than 300 national, state and local organizations. She co-leads the Food Marketing Workgroup and is a member of the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance Steering Committee.
Dr. Wootan has been recognized for her outstanding leadership and dedicated service and won awards from the American Public Health Association, Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors, the Society for Nutrition Education, the Society for Prevention Research, and the National Health Information Awards. http://www.cspinet.org/about/margo-wootan.html KELLY BROWNELL - Kelly D. Brownell is Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, and is a professor of public policy. He also serves on the board of directors of the Duke Global Health Institute. Brownell was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine in 2006 and has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, Graduate Mentoring Award from Yale, the James McKeen Cattell Award from the New York Academy of Sciences, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue University, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Rutgers University, and the Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological Association. Brownell has advised the White House, members of congress, governors, world health and nutrition organizations, and media leaders on issues of nutrition, obesity and public policy. http://fds.duke.edu/db/Sanford/faculty/kelly.brownell RISA LAVIZZO-MOUREY - Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA is president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a position she has held since 2003. With more than 30 years of personal experience as a medical practitioner, policy-maker, professor and nonprofit executive, Lavizzo-Mourey combines the scientific and ethical values she learned as a doctor with an enduring conviction that meaningful philanthropy must achieve lasting social change. Under her leadership, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has researched, evaluated, and implemented transformative programs tackling the nation’s most pressing health issues, with the goal of creating a national culture of health. At the federal level, Lavizzo-Mourey served as deputy administrator of what is now the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and worked on the White House Health Care Reform Task Force, co-chairing the working group on Quality of Care. She also has served on numerous federal advisory committees, including the Task Force on Aging Research, the National Committee for Vital and Health Statistics and the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. Additionally, she co-chaired a congressionally requested Institute of Medicine study on racial and ethnic disparities in health care. http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/leadership-staff/L/risa-lavizzo-mourey-md-mba.html DR. DAVID KESSLER - David A. Kessler, M.D. is Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He was Dean of the School of Medicine and the Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs at UCSF from 2003 through 2007 and Dean of the Yale University School of Medicine from 1997 until 2003. Dr. David Kessler, who served as Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration from November 1990 until March 1997, was appointed by President Bush and reappointed by President Clinton. Under his direction, the FDA announced a number of new programs, including: the regulation of the marketing and sale of tobacco products to children; nutrition labeling for food; user fees for drugs and biologics; preventive controls to improve food safety; measures to strengthen the nation's blood supply; and the MEDWatch program for reporting adverse events and product problems.
Kessler just published his most recent book, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" in April 2009. As of May 2009, it was listed as the number one seller on Amazon for books on Nutrition. MICHAEL POLLAN - Michael Pollan is the author of the book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (2013) and of four New York Times bestsellers: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (2010); In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto (2008); The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) and The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (2001). He has been a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine since 1987, and his writing has received numerous awards. In 2003, Pollan was appointed the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. In addition to teaching, he lectures widely on food, agriculture, health and the environment. http://michaelpollan.com/ SENATOR TOM HARKIN – Senator Tom Harkin is the current junior United States Senator from Iowa serving since 1985, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives (1975–1985). As chairman of the Senate panel that funds medical research, health care and education initiatives, Tom has worked to transform America into a "wellness society" focused on disease prevention, healthier lifestyles, and good nutrition. In tandem with Senator Arlen Specter, he led the effort between 1998 and 2003 to double funding for research into cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. He also led the fight to lift President Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. http://www.harkin.senate.gov/ PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON - President Bill Clinton is an American politician who served from 1993 to 2001 as the 42nd President of the United States. After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity and preventable disease through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative. http://www.clintonfoundation.org/ http://www.clintonfoundation.org/our-work/alliance-healthier-generation DR. HARVEY KARP - Dr. Harvey Karp is a nationally renowned pediatrician, child development specialist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine. He completed medical school training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC, pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and fellowships in ambulatory pediatrics and child development at UCLA. In pediatric practice, for almost 30 years, Dr. Karp has taught thousands of parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer and Pierce Brosnan his secrets for soothing colic, boosting infant sleep, reducing tantrums, promoting patience and …making parents and children happy. http://www.happiestbaby.com/about-dr-karp/
ABOUT THE SUBJECTS: JOE LOPEZ - Joe is 17 years old and lives in Houston, Texas. When he’s not at school or working at the local water park, he’s spending time with his friends and playing video games. Joe loves lasagna and his favorite movie is Nacho Libre. He is already thinking about college, but hasn’t decided where he wants to go or what he wants to study. MAGGIE VALENTINE - Maggie is 14 years old and lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her hobbies include canoeing for the Oklahoma City Riversport Junior Canoe/Kayak Team, reading, and speech and debate. She wants to go to college and study either nutrition, exercise physiology, or physical therapy. In her free time she plays guitar, piano and ukulele. She is the 4 time winner and qualifier in the National geographic bee and her favorite animal is the manatee. BRADY KLUGE - Brady is 16 years old and lives in Easley, South Carolina. He works at a grocery store after school, and enjoys hanging out with friends and going to church. His goals for the future include going to a four year college and getting into medical school for oncology. WESLEY RANDALL - Wesley is 15 years old and lives in Houston, Texas. He plays basketball and football for his school, and loves to play video games (when he’s not doing homework). He wants to play football for an NFL team when he gets older.
ARE YOU FED UP? THEN FIGHT BACK. TAKE THE FED UP CHALLENGE. GET OFF SUGAR FOR 10 DAYS. AVOID PROCESSED FOODS Steer clear of ingredients you don’t recognize. Soda and junk food aren’t the only culprits. Added sugar has many hiding places -- Granola Bars, Salad Dressing, Orange Juice, White Bread, Peanut Butter, Cereal, Whole Grain Cereal, Yogurt, Ketchup, Chips. Avoid Kids Menus. 80 Percent of Public Schools Have Deals With Coke or Pepsi. 1 Soda = 10 tsp of Sugar. Tell your child’s principal to put students’ health ahead of big soda’s money. ~~~ The World Health Organization has issued a call for 50% reduction in sugar consumption. PRESSURE YOUR GOVERNMENT TO CONFRONT THE GREATEST PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS OF OUR TIME. ~~~ IT’S TIME TO GET REAL ABOUT FOOD. LEARN HOW, VISIT
WWW.FEDUPMOVIE.COM
CREDITS OPENING Atlas Films presents In Association With Artemis Rising Foundation and Diamond Docs Executive Producers: Katie Couric Laurie David Executive Producers: Heather Reisman Regina K. Scully Executive Producers: Michelle Walrath Michael Walrath Produced by: Eve Marson Sarah Olson Stephanie Soechtig Co-Produced by: Sarah Gibson Kristin Lazure Original Score by: Michael Brook Edited by: Brian Lazarte Tina Nguyen Dan Swietlik, A.C.E. Written by: Mark Monroe Stephanie Soechtig Directed by: Stephanie Soechtig
CLOSING Written, Produced, and Directed By: Stephanie Soechtig Narrated By: Katie Couric Cinematographer: Scott Sinkler Associate Producers: Mary Beth Callie Yoko Okumura Carly Palmour Dawn V. Woollen Graphics and Effects by: The Glossary Matthew Freidell Allison Dunning Jeremy Dunning Assistant to Katie Couric: Meredith Kennedy Research Assistants Elijah Olson Bonnie Rowan Additional Camera: Kevin Burke Matthew Freidell Nathan Golon Alex Gorosh Jamison Henson Ryan Hill Josh Salzman Richard Trammell Jay Visit Sound Recordists: Josh Duncan Paul Fonarev David Girard Joe Hancock Fiona McBain Mark Maloof John Mathie Daniel Nidel Jeff Pace Spencer Smith Gary Tomaro Gaffers: Stuart Copley Jesse Jaraczewski Assistant Editors: Chris Catanach Nicholas Lipari Eli Middleton Carly Palmour Alex Tedesco Matt Twomey Music Supervisor: Mike Meeker Music Production: Craig Conard String Arrangements/Violin: Julie Rogers Online Consultants: Jeremy Derringer Post-Production Services By: Different By Design Additional Color Correction: Different By Design and HD Cinema James Honaker, Colorist
Recorded at Anarchy Post Supervising Sound Editor: Eric Lalicata Re-recording Mixer: Tom Boykin Sound Supervisor: Dan Snow Dialogue Editor: Shaun Cunningham Sound Editors: Kyle Lane Ryan Arakaki Color By – Fotokem Supervising Colorist: John Daro Colorist: Robert Tomaszewski Mastering Assistant: Michael R. Griffin DI Producer: Susan Alexander
Field Production Assistants: Katelynn Bell Tierney Bonini Alex Cole Bridgette Devore Peter Hutcheson Stefan Marti Sam Membrino Jennifer Rosari Emiliano Ruprah Jeremy Sultan David Thienes Interns: Edwin Escoto Abby Fass Jake Frank Jack Harrison Tandice Ossareh Meyya Tabbaa Kids: Noah Grismer Jolie Heriveaux Luca Soechtig Hill Alexandros Kalogerou Summer Kastner Marcus Martins Myles O’Meara Clive O’Meara Ella Shipman Owen Shipman Maia Sinkler Evelyn Urist
Thanks to the experts who generously gave their time: Kate Adamick David Allison, Ph.D. Alphabet Academy Mark Bittman Mayor Michael Bloomberg Bruce Blumberg, M.D. Mary L. Brandt, M.D Kelly Brownell, Ph.D. Denise Bruner Richard Carmona President Bill Clinton Deborah Cohen Greg Critser Kathy Deltonto Kathy Dolgin (High Voltage) Mary Engle Rita Fowler
Faulkton School District Fresh Moves Jerri Grey Lisa Gable Sonya Grier Senator Tom Harkin Wenonah Hauter Mark Hyman M.D. Michael Jacobson Harvey Karp M.D. David Kessler M.D. Jean Kilbourne Risa Lavizzio-Mourey Robert Lustig M.D. David Ludwig M.D. Montrose County School District Moore West Jr. High Jeri Main Ron Mitchell Michael Moss Marion Nestle Kyle Ortmeier Vivian Phillips Michael Pollan Barry Popkin Janet Poppendieck Michael Rosenbaum M.D. Mark Samuels M.D. Vadim Sherman, M.D. Michele Simon Gary Taubes Kari Turybury Secretary Tom Vilsack Brian Wansink Kristin Wartman Duff Wilson Margo Wootan Wren High School Thank you to the families, many of whom spent years diligently documenting their experiences: The Daniels Family The Draper Family The Gulchin Family The Kluge Family The Lopez Family The Randall Family The Ramos Family The Valentine Family Thanks to: Matt Dickinson Burke Eiteljorg James Hill Joshua Kunau Mary and David Olson Hermina and Hans Soechtig Scott and Rebecca Soechtig Snyder Amy Yeager The Filmmakers would like extend a very special thanks to: Mike Novogratz Bloomberg Philanthropy Special thanks to: Wendy Abrams Anthony and Melissa Blumberg The California Endowment Tracy Collins Katie Couric Laurie David Larry David Jesse and Betsy Fink The Fledgling Fund Cristian Goodhart Jonah Goodhart Grace Communications Foundation John & Amy Griffin Foundation Sara & Russell Hirsch Eli Manning Alicia Scanlon The Sobel Family Foundation Music “SUGAR SUGAR” Performed by The Archies Courtesy of Calender, RCA Records under license from Sony Music Entertainment Written by Jeff Barry (BMI), Andy Kim (BMI) © Sony ATV Songs LLC (BMI) Used by permission. All rights reserved. Published by Steeplechase Music(BMI)
“START A WAR”
Performed by The National Courtesy of Beggars Banquet Records under license from the Beggars Group Written by Mathew Donald Berringer, Aaron Brooking Dessner © BMG Rights Management US Used by Permission. All rights reserved. Published by Bughouse Music
“PHYSICAL” Performed by Olivia Newton John Courtesy of MCA Records under license from Universal Music Group Written by Steven Alan Kipner (ASCAP) Terrence John Shaddick (ASCAP) © EMI Music Publishing Inc (ASCAP) Used by permission. All rights reserved. Published by Floating World Music (ASCAP)
“FASTER” Performed by Matt Nathanson Courtesy of Vanguard Records under license from Universal Music Group Written by Matt Adam Nathanson, Mark M Weinberg © EMI Music Publishing Inc (ASCAP) Used by permission. All rights reserved. Published by Little Victories Music (ASCAP)
“BATTLE WITHOUT HONOR or HUMANITY” Performed by Tomoyasu Hotei Courtesy of EMI Music Japan Written by Tomoyasu Hotei © EMI Music Publishing Inc (ASCAP) Used by permission. All rights reserved. Published by EMI Music Japan
“WAKE UP” Written by Edwin F. Butler, William Pierce Butler, Regine Chassagne, Timothy Kingsbury, Richard R. Parry Performed by Arcade Fire Courtesy Merge Records
Fiscal Sponsorship provided by the International Documentary Association Public Relations Representation - DDA Public Relations Distribution Advisory Services- Cinetic Media: Cinetic Media An Atlas Films Production
The Fed Up Challenge: #SUGARFREE for 10 Days! Cut sodas, sweetened beverages and foods that have added sugars including honey, molasses, agave, etc. This includes all artificial sugars and sugar substitutes. Be aware of foods that may have hidden sugars, like yogurts, canned foods, spaghetti sauce and ketchup. Tweet, Facebook and Instagram your sugar free experience using the hashtag #FedUpChallenge, and motivate your friends and family to join you. This is a challenge, but an important one. We are working with trusted partners and doctors to provide resources and tools for individuals, parents, schools and organizations. Please join us as in our cause – it sounds tough, but together we can do it! To start getting real about food, visit: www.FedUpMovie.com