November 22, 2016
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Social Issues in Film Series Presents “Sugar Coated” Nov. 30

Valdosta State University’s 2016-2017 Social Issues in Film Series will present “Sugar Coated” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Nevins Hall Room 1061. Admission to the screening is free of charge and open to all students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, and friends of the university.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University’s 2016-2017 Social Issues in Film Series will present “Sugar Coated” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Nevins Hall Room 1061. Admission to the screening is free of charge and open to all students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, and friends of the university.
 
“Sugar Coated” unearths the claim that sugar is toxic and is the cause of obesity, diabetes, and rising heart disease rates. The Canadian documentary, presented by The Cutting Factory Inc., is directed, produced, and edited by Michèle Hozer.
 
“Is sugar the new tobacco? How did the food industry get us to stop asking the question: Is sugar toxic? It all starts with a secret PR campaign dating back to the 1970s,” according to an online synopsis. “For 40 years, Big Sugar deflected all threats to its multi-billion dollar empire, while sweetening the world’s food supply. As obesity, diabetes, and heart disease rates skyrocket, doctors are now treating the first generation of children suffering from fatty liver disease. The sugar industry is once again under siege. They dodged the bullet once. Can they do it again?
 
“Today, industry is deploying its old tactics and pulling out the old adage ‘we just eat too damn much.’ This time consumers aren’t buying it. The critics have gotten smarter, bolder, and madder and science is catching up.”
 
The film features Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist and leader of the board of experts putting sugar on trial. Lustig has dedicated his life to fighting childhood obesity and is confident that the sugar industry is the culprit in this battle for health.
 
“Sugar Coated” premiered in April 2015 at the Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival in Toronto. Since its release, the documentary has earned the Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program and four other award nominations.
 
Dr. Lorna Alvarez-Rivera, Dr. Tom Hochschild, Dr. Anne Price, and Dr. Shelly Yankovsky, faculty members in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, sponsor VSU’s annual Social Issues in Film Series.
 
Contact Dr. Tom Hochschild at trhochschild@valdosta.edu to learn more.
 
On the Web:
 
http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts-sciences/sacj

http://sugarcoateddoc.com/

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