Summary
Fed Up is a film directed, produced and written by Stephanie Soechtig, and it is more of a U.S documentary. The film majorly focuses on causes of obesity in the U.S, caused by sugary drinks and processed foods. The obesity rates are further elevated by ineffective policies by the government, prevented by lobbying commercial interests of ‘Big Sugar’ processors. It shows the upending wisdom on how we loose weight and how we gain it. It shows how America is addicted to unhealthy food, thus giving clear warnings on the need to change what we eat. The documentary is a critical examination of the injustices in the food intake in America causing nutritional crisis.
The documentary unearths the American food industry’s dirty secret. According to the documentary, many people get more sick from what we what we eat without our knowledge. TV journalist Katie Couric and the filmmaker Stephanie leads us through the expose which explores why children of the American generation will live shorter lives than their parents. The obesity is still a reality in America despite government policies to combat childhood obesity, media attention and public fascination about appearance.
The documentary uses sharp examination of data and different interviews in revealing different facts to the viewers. The documentary shows how the government of U.S.A has caused on of the largest public epidemics, by misleading people. According to the documentary, the government aids the food industry in misleading the public. The film shows how the rate of obesity has skyrocketed since the first dietary guidelines by the government in 1930. Soechtig follows three obese children uphill, as they battle to loose weight in their daily lives.
It was interesting to see the revelations of how the industry softened the findings of World Health Organization on the effects of sugars to health. It was hard to find the information on the on the WHO story, and the media was also complacent on the information about the effects of such processed foods. Also, the documentary shows how much deceit is in the labeling of food and percentage of sugars in not shown on the labeling of foods, because it’s collaboration and perhaps such labeling can have a damning effect on different food products in the industry. Also, surprisingly, is the takeover of lunchrooms by fast food companies, which seem to be fully an economic decision.
Notably, the film shows that the food with sugar causes type 2 diabetes in children, and is linked to different cases of obesity. I agree with most aspects of the film, concerning the effects of sugar intakes. I also agree that the government’s laxity in putting in place effective policies has led to the increased obesity rates. Perhaps, their laxity is because of the alleged collaboration with the producers of such unhealthy foods. Also, the documentary gives different important suggestions on how to reduce the obesity rates by exercising and eating healthy foods.
After watching the film, I am more cautious and knowledgeable about the food I take. The film acts as a warning not only to children but to all consumers; giving a cautionary tale on the appetites of Americans. It also shows how one gains weight through bad eating habits which lead to weight gain, thus increasing more care while taking differently processed foods. The film has also increased my awareness on how governments can distract awareness. Consequently, thus not much bothered about the health of children and future generations, this shows that a person has to take care of their health, and parents should carefully ensure that their children feed healthy meals. It also shows that people’s bad choices in the food they eat lead to the extra weight gain. The documentary gives some recommendations, showing how exercising can help in loosing the extra calories which are not needed in the body.
The film is an effective expose of dietary damage that is plaguing the population and shows the different problematic issues facing the industry. The author also, further recommends change in policies, by asking people like Michelle not to just ask people to run, but try and ensure sugar levels are labeled on foods. The documentary shows self- destruction and the downward spiral of people, and different players who are not tackling the frightful food-forming nightmares and emergencies in sugar based products. The film is a display of lax food regulations, food consumption that is ill-advised and diseases. This is a tough pill to swallow and is a narrative that is noteworthy.
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