This week I went to see Food Inc., the Robert Kenner film which seeks to expose the dark side of the food industry in the United States. The movie depicts the inhumane treatment of poultry on chicken farms, the less-than-sanitary conditions at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), the monopolies certain companies have on GMO crops and how farmers are often abused by the food industry. All in all, what you would expect of a movie with an agenda.
While I agree that movies of this nature are necessary to expose the wrongdoings of the food industry, I think the viewer should watch it with a critical eye. After all, this movie has a message of its own, one that clearly pushes for consumers to buy locally grown and organic foods. Although I agree that the consumer market is what drives the food industry to mass-produce food that is unhealthy and inhumane, and that buying foods which hold the food industry to higher standards of health will help to reform our food industry, there will always be a large part of the population which either cannot afford to or do not care to buy these kinds of foods. Thus, I think the ultimate responsibility to improve food conditions falls on the government. Food reform is much needed in this country. We need to stop subsidizing corn- and soy-based foods and improve nutrition education so that consumers are able to make the correct food choices. The movie did its part to demonstrate the need for political action in the United States by illustrating the power of the food industry lobby in Washington and by showing how difficult it is for food safety advocates to affect food policy.
Really, I think this movie served its purpose: Make consumers aware of where their food comes from and how they can do their part to make proper food choices. Sadly, I think food reform will take a back seat to the current economic problems and healthcare reform. Perhaps, in due time, policies will be implemented which improve the quality of food production in this country so that we can all afford to consume a healthy diet.
I saw it a few weeks ago as well. I loved the organic, working outdoors, farmer, even though I had to watch his chickens be killed in the background. But he made me smile.
I did feel that they didn’t quite try enough to get someone from the Big Evil Companies to speak. They were all “not available for comment”, even though they had managed to find a chicken farmer willing to risk her job to show how it all happened. I think that for the sake of drama they felt it was easier to say that “they” didn’t want to comment rather than trying to talk to someone, maybe even anonymously (they had one of the farmers speak anonymously!) And in the segment where they showed people who worked for both food companies and the government, to emphasize how everything is evil and politically controlled, they also had a food chemist (forgot who – it was one of the woman they showed on the business card flipping thing). I don’t think a chemist working for the FDA has any control over politics…
But I guess films are always biased. And what they did show, that was really there, especially the animal treatment. A lot of the imagery in the film was what made me vegetarian in the first place, about ten years ago. During Mad Cow disease they kept showing all these horrific images on the news, of dead cows piled up on the street, killed preemptively. A lot of people stopped eating meat then. Most went back to it later, but I just never got used to the idea again.
Another aspect of the US food industry, or perhaps the catering industry, that surely needs a second look is portion size in restaurants. Whenever I’ve been in the States, ordering even a small portion results in a meal that would last me several days. No way could I ever finish the meal. Is there much of a lobby to reduce portion sizes, thereby reducing demand and lowering the need for intensive farming?
Eva- I agree. It seems they didn’t really try hard enough to talk with the big food companies. It may be that the food companies really didn’t want to talk with the film producers, but it may be that it was better for the film not to push.
Matt- I used to work in a lab that studied portion control and satiety. Portion size has a direct effect on calories consumed. The bigger the portion, the more you eat. I don’t think there is lobby for that though (unfortunately).
Portion control should be related to content, though. A huge bowl of salad is not the same thing as a supersized meal at McD’s.
Caryn,
I agree with your post, the movie should be viewed with a critical eye. I have not see this film yet. But let me comment on one part of your write-up. “There will always be a large part of the population which either cannot afford to or do not care to buy these kinds of food.” I don’t think anyone wants to buy food that is produced in an unsafe way or with unwholesome ingredients, even people with little money. But when it comes down to it, I think many people (poor people) feel powerless to change what is wrong. The lobby for change seems to be left up to an ‘elite’ class of people with time to demand changes. I think if you look at where this movie is being screened across the country, it will become evident that most of the places are not rural centers but are progressive centers near centers of higher ed—the academic elite areas. You also are right that these concerns will take a back seat to an economic crisis. Parents out of work will buy the cheapest, easiest foods they can find to feed their families even if they know the ingredients are not ideal. I wrote about this movie in my Examiner column here. I would appreciate further feedback.
Right. Forgot to mention that Ken. Energy density of the food is a factor that should be considered, but you shouldn’t eat an extra-large salad because you know there are less calories per bite. That is the whole control aspect.
Mary- I think the film gave a very good representation of how the poor population feels powerless in this country. The film showed how difficult is it for poor families to afford healthy food because of subsidized processed foods.
As for the screening, it is the unfortunate circumstance that most independent films rarely make it out of big cities. I hope this one is different.
I really enjoyed your article! Thanks for the link.
@ Caryn: Good point, although it’s still relative. For a raw foodist (which I’m not), a huge bowl of salad is the entire meal, not just an appetizer :)