Behind The Supermarket Food Movie Review Samples

The film is a great expose about the story behind the supermarket foods. It educates the viewers about the misconception and sometimes deception being employed by the supermarket giants. It tells the story of the very few big retailers that controlled the supermarket business and the control they have at the farmers and price. Aside from the animal welfare issues that are raised by the film, labor practices are also questionable because the workers’ right and safety are also put in danger.
Most chicken farms are being subsidized by giant food companies. These farmhouses chickens in a tightly cramped space where they cannot freely roam. Although these chickens are housed indoors, and the giant companies require chicken houses to have upgraded facilities, chickens might still find it discomforting because of the cramped chicken population inside the farm. They are housed in farm houses, and they do not even experience any sunshine in their lifetime. They are always in darkness. In order to recuperate the investment made from building the chicken houses, owners are forced to grow a huge number of chickens. Since they are not in free range, they have undeveloped motor skills. They can only walk for a few distance and fall to the ground because they are not adapted to walking long distance. Also, these chickens are bred to have larger proportions of chest size because of high demand for chicken breast on the supermarket. And their lack of motor skills is also intentionally done to catch them easily when chicken collectors come in to take them. It would be hard for the chicken to run since they are not used to moving around. They are being collected easily without any effort. Another inappropriate condition of these chickens is their waste management. Since they can move around, their waste is being concentrated in the same area for the whole time. Chickens stand on the concentrated waste from different chickens. In turn, if one chicken has any disease, it could easily pass on to other chickens.
Cows are also being maltreated in the film’s depiction. Cows are being bred in a massive scale, as well. Former farmlands are converted to cow ranch as herds of them are fed and confined in rows dedicatedly designed to match the growing needs of the market for beef. Fast food has also increased the demand for beef, and retail giants responded by moving the cow business from farm style herding to mass manufacturing. Just like the case of chicken farms, these cows are confined in compact spaces where they live with a thousand other cows. Waste is also a big problem. Cow manure is not regularly cleaned as well, and these cows are stepping on each other’s manure. These make them susceptible to diseases and foster the growth of E. coli. When ingested E. coli is known to cause severe ailments or worst, it could cause death. In the case of E. coli outbreak, beef retailers are required to do a massive recall of their product and not only is it unsafe for human consumption but a big profit loss for the retailers. Cows are also susceptible to E. coli because of the diet. Since corn in the United States is being mass produced and heavily subsidize, it forms an excess supply thereby making it cheaper to be used as animal feed. In their study, cows that are fed with corn have higher levels of E. coli on their system. Unlike cows that are being herded on grasslands, they might appear bigger due to over-feeding but they have more fat and possible weak immune system making them susceptible to diseases.
In terms of butchering the animals, killing lives for food is not an easy task to do. In industrialized butchery, animals are put on a conveyor belt ready to be processed. They are treated with no respect for their lives, and they are seen as a product already. Oftentimes they are scared and frightened before they are butchered because they are forced and pulled with no care.
The film is also proposing the options of doing a free-range method of farming husbandry instead of the industrialized way. In free-range method animals are set free to roam outdoors or at least part of the day, giving them access to space and away from being enclosed. Animals are not confined inside fences or houses, but instead they have the chance of spending their time outdoors, giving them more comfort. Unlike confined spaces, animals are able to develop leaner muscles and healthier body. Since they can also roam around, their waste and manure are not concentrated in the same area. It becomes beneficial to the environment as well because when cows come in to feed on the grass they leave their waste behind to fertilize the soil. Unwanted grasses and weeds are also taken care as this becomes available food for the cows. It is easier and cheaper for farmers to raise animals in a free-range method. They do not have to think about their feeds because grasses are relatively free and grow on their farm yard. For the consumer’s standpoint, free-range meat offers them a healthier option as well producing leaner meats and fewer fats. Supermarket giants also have all the funding and government support to maintain their facility and in economics they can produce huge volumes of meat products at a competitive price compared to farmers who employ free-range method. However, as the story of supermarket foods are being exposed, more consumers are opting for ethically treated products. Supermarkets are responding to this by giving them healthier options on their shelves. In order to ethically treat these animals, consumers must be able to patronize their products, as well.
Those animals grown to be food for humans are being maltreated in the film. They are often seen as a product rather than living things. Proper care and sanitation are often being neglected as they can be easily replaced by a thousand other animals in the same poultry or chicken house. At the end of the day, consumers must realize that they need to pay respect to these animals because they get their energy from them in exchange for their lives. Only selected animals is favored for food production mainly because of its compatibility to human consumption. In food industrialization, these animals are sheltered, domesticated and grown in number to meet the demand of the consumers. Although their species are favored, they are viewed as a commodity rather than part of the ecosystem, Oftentimes, growing huge number of the same herd of animals in a specific location over time can even damage the balance of the ecosystem for the surrounding.
Consumers can take a stand on this process and begin to realize that they have the power to change things. When they buy their supermarket goods, they are making their choice on which goods and produce to favor. And when a cumulative demand is recognized for ethically treated animal produce and fair labor practices, government officials would respond to that and retailer would follow.