Essays On Food Inc Documentary

These companies, we learn, have based the entire American diet on corn, because corn is cheap and plentiful. Around thirty percent of land in the United States is cornfields. Something like ninety percent of all products in grocery stores contains a corn product, most commonly high fructose corn syrup, but also the majority of those ambiguous ingredients found on food packaging. If feeding cows corn spawns the evolution of bacteria, what does it do to humans? What diseases have developed as a result of this reliance on corn products, besides obesity that is?

Food, Inc. is an entertaining and illuminating documentary film directed by renowned filmmaker Robert Kenner and narrated by food experts Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. A 2008 movie, the film explores in depth the American food industry by going behind the scenes to bring to light the highly mechanized underbelly and inner working of the food industry and corporations that have taken over food production in the United States of America (Lindenfeld 2010). Possibly the most conclusive cinematic investigation of the current American food industry, the Oscar-nominated documentary exposes an oligopolistic industry that is rife with corruption and environmentally harmful practices (Meyers, Irlbeck, & Fletcher, 2011). The film reveals how the food industry is controlled by a few major corporations that use abusive techniques to both animals and employees in order to achieve their own selfish gains.

essays on food inc documentary

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But why blame the corporations alone and no one with integrity has come out to condemn these egregious practices you ask? Well, fear and intimidation are the weapons used by corporations in aiding their cause, which is conducted with limited regulations and sheer impunity. Many farmers and all those involved in the day-to-day activities of these corporations are bullied into submission; try and utter a word and you are definitely out of a job or even worse, be involved in a litigious battle that you cannot afford. However, in one enlightening segment in the documentary, one brave farmer comes out to speak on the state of things and reveals some of the abhorrent demands issued to her and her colleagues. The animal resources used: chicken, cows, sheep, and goats are kept in completely insalubrious conditions with some of them sick. These corporations utilize cheap labor to maximize profits with some of the employees being desperate immigrants.

In summary, this film is quite effective. It managed to demonstrate to the world all the major aspects of the American food industry and highlighted quite clearly all the flaws that plague the industry. The movie was not perfect, however, with some improvements in tying all the food production aspects together, it would have conveyed the message better. Nonetheless, it created awareness, and even more so, gave the public insight and answers on things that affect them and thus power to make the necessary changes required.

Then, they offer these products at a cheap price. Nevertheless, this is a problem because in most cases, an E. coli bacterium is found replicating in corn due to unhealthy production processes. In addition, corn is highly modified genetically to allow it to grow and mature fast, but at the expense of human and animal health (Deardorff, 2009). Fast food companies are faced with an economic problem because they are the major target for modern health campaigns and enthusiasts who tend to tarnish the names of the fast-food producers. In addition, with an increasing trend towards organic foods, fast food companies are set to lose a large part of their clientele, resulting in economic problems.

According to the film, the American food production industry is highly controlled by the bourgeois class, which mostly consists of large corporations that have achieved government backing. Laws have been made and enacted to protect the interest of these companies at the expense of human health. The film cites the roles and practices of companies like Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Monsanto Company, and Smithfield Foods in controlling food production (Deardorff, 2009).

One of the major roles that these companies play in controlling food production in the country is to regulate what farmers do. They make compulsory practices that their farmers must abide by in order to increase production and reduce costs. For example, a chicken farmer, who is one of the contractors under Tyson Foods, reveals that the company regulates animal production in their farms by using inhumane methods of animal handling (Weber, 2009). She says that chicken fed with foods that make them grow excessively big within a few days. The film shows some 30 day-old chicken moving for a short distance before collapsing from excessive weight. In addition, the farmer says that chicken are kept in tiny houses without windows or other ventilations. They remain there all day and night without seeing sunlight (Kenner, 2008).

The film highlights the impact of the processes and practices of the food production industry on animal and plant health and the subsequent impact of these factors on human health. The production of junk foods and contaminated plant and animals products seems to be real. In addition, commercialization and mechanization of the processes, together with cheap labor from Mexico, shows that the industries are interested in increasing their profitability levels at the expense of human and environmental health (Weber, 2009).

This film shows that modern consumers do not have an opportunity to work directly with manufacturers of food. One of the reasons is that large corporations can launch a mass-scale production of food, and therefore, they can dictate pricing policies to the small farmers, who, in their turn, have to work with these companies. Secondly, the authors of this movie attract our attention to the aggressive promotion of unhealthy food, and many people believe that this is the best choice for them. Secondly, one has to mention that large corporations can open numerous sales outlets, while small farmers cannot do that.

Organically grown food has its advantages and disadvantages for both farmers and buyers. The farmer does not have to incur great expenses since organic fertilizers are not as costly as chemical ones. Secondly, organically grown plants are much more resistant to various diseases. Apart from that, such a form of agriculture is not so vulnerable to droughts. However, one has to consider that organic farming requires much more effort than chemical one, and it is more time-consuming. This is the way organic farmers cannot compete with large companies in terms of productivity.

Organic food has its benefits for the consumer as well. This food is much safe, and it is rather unlikely to give rise to any health complications. Secondly, these products taste better than non-organic food. The key disadvantage is that they are more expensive, and many customers cannot afford it.

The key benefit of such distribution channels is that a customer can purchase high-quality organic food at a reasonable price. In this case, he/she does not have to deal with resellers who usually set higher prices. Yet, these direct marketing channels are often inaccessible to the buyers, because they are usually open during warm weather; as a rule, a person can buy products directly from the farmers once or twice a week, and it is quite probable that he/she may prefer to go to the chain store.

Do people have the right to know what is in their food? Should companies be able to own the DNA contained in plant seeds? When deciding what to eat, how much should we consider the workers who pick, process, and transport our food?

This teacher's guide is a companion to the Academy Award-nominated documentary Food, Inc., which takes a critical look at the industrialization of our country's food supply. Participant Media produced the film in collaboration with River Road Entertainment and Magnolia Pictures.

"Food, Inc. has helped launch a vibrant national conversation about the future of food and farming in America," says Michael Pollan, bestselling author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma. "Now the Center for Ecoliteracy's invaluable teacher's guide will help to bring that conversation into the classroom."

The 102-page guide provides questions and activities about the film's themes, including health, sustainability, animal welfare, and workers' rights. It is designed to help high school students make more thoughtful choices about food and participate in a meaningful dialogue about food and food systems.

Today you can find about forty-seven thousand of products in a typical supermarket. Picking up another package of meat there is always an idea of variable choices that are suggested with different brands. But it is just an illusion of diversity because in reality there are only a few companies that possess and rule the market. However, strolling between the aisles of the food store you get amazed by the huge assortment and ability to buy any product that you want during the whole year. Purchasing cucumbers or tomatoes in winter consumers are just content with up-to-date service without any reflections about the quality or presence of the vitamins in vegetables.

Represented pictures of scared hogs in slaughterhouse along with crippled and unable to walk cows in the farms bring a shock to your mind. Having another portion of fry potatoes for your dinner, you have never thought about how exactly fast-food restaurants get raw materials for their menus. You have never imagined the conditions of cultivation and treatment of animals while choosing a meal. Making a bite of hamburger, you have never known the story of three-year-old Kevin, who died because of the E-coli infection and whose mother still tries to reach justice.

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Robert Kenner[1] and narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.[5][6] It examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees. The film received positive reviews and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature. A sequel is in the works and is scheduled to be released in late 2023. 2ff7e9595c