‘food Inc.’ Movie Review Movie Review Sample

The supermarkets today are like wonderlands that fulfill each and every human need. We need meat that is ready-to-cook, and it’s there, we need a bag of chips for snack times, and we find those in the shelves, if we need soda for parties, they are there. The best commodity however if the frozen food, which takes nothing but a few minutes in the microwave and we have the meal of our choice. The same is the case at restaurants; whether we are craving Chinese, Italian or fast food, they cater to our every whim. It is an interesting place to live in; the world of today, almost as if it’s too good to be true; and it is.
Here’s a behind the scenes secret. The food that is so easily within our reach passes through a variety of gruesome processes and is prepared using ingredients that could do a lot of damages. If we find out the actual composition and reality behind the food that we eat, we may not be as willing and happy to eat it as we are today. The documentary titled ‘Food Inc.’ gives us a little peek into the world of food processing, and most of the truths uncovered by the documentary are awe-inspiring.
Revealing the truth about the greatest mystery of the food industry, the documentary explains how the top four of the food distribution companies control no less than 80% of the food market. These companies have redefined the way in which farming is carried out, and today’s method of farming inflicts mistreatment upon the workers as well as the animals. Taking chicken as an example, the film explains how it now takes a sum total of 48 days for an egg to become a fully grown chicken. The modern day chicken has also been engineered to have larger breasts, which gives the meat consumers a bigger breast piece. Also, since they grow and gain weight with exceptionally fast speed, the hen is not able to stay on its feet for very long and for this very reason, it spends most of its life lying down. Cows and pigs are not being treated any differently.
The movie also highlights the main reason for the growing rate of obesity in the United States. Most of the foods that are being manufactured today have corn as an ingredient in them, which leads to the consumption of a lot of calories. Even the coca cola company has started using corn syrup as a substitute for sweeteners in the soda. The problem is that after being processes, these corn ingredients grow further in the composition of calories while our bodies are not burning as many. Another problem that we are facing is that packaged food that is rich in these corn ingredients and fat content are being sold quite cheap, which has increased accessibility to these foods and we are using them as snacks on a regular basis. Eating healthy, on the other hand, entails a greater expense which not many people can keep up with. For this very reason, many are forced to make a choice between the healthy and cheap.
During the entirety of the documentary, we are familiarized with a number of ethical issues that should be taken a stand against. The first and foremost is the truth about how not only animals, but workers too are being exploited and greatly mistreated. The entire process of farming has now changed from the manufacturing process where everything from chickens to cows is mass produced. These animals are fed unhealthy chow including antibiotics and corn, which are not only hard for them to digest, but are also somewhat of a health hazard to the humans. Another problem is how the farmers are being treated unfairly. The companies that have contracts with them make them familiar with the requirements of farming and in order to meet these requirements, the farmers often have to take loans which they cannot later pay back. The major reason is that the amounts of loans that they have taken have far exceeded the sum that they actually earn during the year.
The world today operates on a system that we explain using the term ‘free market economic system’, and in this world, the consumer or the customer has all the power. The first step to solving the ethical issues is to be aware of them. People should know how the food that they eat is being processed, and this could be accomplished only if they ask the questions. They should also stop eating any such food that calls for the torturing or mistreatment of animals.
The film was quite effective in achieving its objective, which was to make the audience more informed about what they are eating and how everything is being prepared. Was Kenner biased through the film though? I’d say that he was. He showed graphically, how things were being done the wrong way, which definitely played with the spectator’s emotions but shouldn’t we all be biased when it comes to eating healthy, especially when the same food is being consumed by those we love and care about too? Also, by adding the interview of Carole (one of the farmers), Kenner has drawn in the sympathies of the onlookers. It informed us with a practical example how the farmers were being dealt with unfairly. All in all, the film was informative and brilliant, and made the audience want to take a few decisions into their own hands. It may not set the system of our farming quite straight, but it could take care of a few issues.
We could also take a stand against the mistreatment of farmers and the workers by drawing up laws and regulations that protect their interests. Apart from the imposition of minimum wages, the farmers should be given rights which prevent the companies from making contracts with them that are less than fair. It is not hard to find solutions to our problems, but in order to take a step in that direction, we need to realize that we have a problem. The documentary put together by Robert Kenner is in my opinion a very big step forward in the right direction.

Works Cited

Kenner, Robert. Food Inc. 2008. <http://documentaryaddict.com/food+inc-2174-doc.html>.