Film studies
Food Inc. is an insightful film about the American food industry and how this food is produced for the consumers. American food is produced by very large multinational companies in ways that are unconventional to say the least. The exact mechanics behind the production of this food is deliberately kept from the public perhaps in an attempt to avoid public protest that would result from knowledge of the truth. Contrary to the norm, the American food system has shifted from a farm base to a production line base. This means that the normal ways of growing food on farms have been thrown out the window in favor of new ways of producing food much faster all aimed at profit maximization for the multinational corporations that control the food industry. The film talks about how an image of agrarian America is used as a veil to deceive the public as to the exact mechanics that went into the production of the food eaten. A good example is that of tomatoes that are present in supermarkets throughout the year. Normally these are seasonal vegetables but in American supermarkets they are in abundance all year round. The tomatoes are ripened with ethylene gas. The final product is more of the concept of a tomato as opposed to an actual tomato with nutritious value.
American food is now produced in industries where both the animals as well the workers are grossly abuse by their employers. A special highlight in the film is the production of meat. Traditional or rather natural meat has bones in it. Ironically the meat being sold in American supermarkets has absolutely no bones in it at all. A closer look into the production of meat reveals a much darker truth. Cows are fed corn instead of grass. This is because corn results into the growth of the cows into a stature much larger than the conventional size of a cow. The cows being fed corn also take a shorter period of time to mature. This is clearly an enticing development for any entrepreneurial minded human being on the planet. The problem is that cows being fed corn develop E.coli which is very harmful to human beings and might even result in death. Evolution designed cows to feed on grass not corn. This is because cows feeding on grass are able to produce acids that limit bacteria growth in their stomachs. Substitution of grass with corn as is one in the food industry today leaves the cows vulnerable to the growth of bacteria in their stomachs. The health of the average consumer is at risk because this bacterium is not limited to the stomach of the cow but rather spreads into meat that is being sold in supermarkets. The result is a society feeding on a petri dish of bacteria cleverly disguised as food. The surprising part is that despite outcry and activism against bacteria present in meat, little punitive measures have been taken by the concerned authorities to cater for public interest.
American food is no longer natural or even grown by farmers at that. The food we eat is a result of clever engineering that is so good that the public mistakes it for the real natural product. This engineering ranges from coloring to the exact mimicking of taste all in an attempt to dupe the pubic and make profits in the process. The film talks about chicken breeding no longer being farming but more of mass production. This is because chicken are grown in very tiny farms and derived of some of nature’s basic necessities such as sunlight. The result is a much larger chicken in a very short period of time. The problem is the fact that the size of the chicken in term of their body mass clearly passes the capacity of their bodily organs in terms of their functions. The chicken produced cannot even walk to say the least. This is a clear violation of animal rights as well as evidence of the manipulation that goes into the production of the food that the average American consumes on a daily basis.
The food industry primarily employs fear tactics as a means of controlling farmers and keeping the m from telling the truth. Any farmer found disclosing the secrets of how food is produced is sued and might even find themselves barred from ever growing food for commercial purposes again. The food corporations are much more richer than the average farmer. Thus, the food corporations are able to hire the best experts in terms of legal professionals. The result is a lengthy battle which the farmer will most likely lose due to financial constraints as well as massive pressure from the big corporations. We therefore have a society he the farmers are working under duress. They produce food that is unfit for human consumption and definitely detrimental to the environment yet they are unable to disclose the truth to the public without fear of the punitive actions that will be taken against them.
