Our discussion of Food Inc. is coming up fast!

On Sunday, April 29 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST, readers will log-on and join the previously established babble thread for this discussion of Food Inc. We invite users, both new and old, to join us on the thread to comment, question and discuss the book in its entirety. However, this selection is a little different for a couple of reasons:

This week is Earth Week and with that rabble.ca has produced myriad materials on Earth Week-related topics, among one of which is food. rabble.ca has again launched the Vegan Challenge inciting readers to take a look at the food they consume and try a different food consumption method by going vegan and the Babble Book Club is trying to inspire readers to take a look at the industrial food system and how its techniques negatively affect our country, diet and health by reading Food Inc.

Last week, environmentalists and food advocates warily welcomed the news that Walmart plans to expand its local, sustainable food program. The company announced it would double its sales of locally grown food by 2015 and, in new markets, would source from small and midsized producers. Given Walmart’s market share, this announcement is generally understood to be a positive development for the sustainable food movement.