3.5 Astounding-Truths-About-Our-Food out of 4
Robert Kenner’s Food, Inc. is a poignant, terrifying, and eye-opening look at the way corporate farming in agrarian America has changed the definition of food. To say that the food industry is no longer run by farmers would be an accurate representation of the truth. Thanks to the massive popularity of fast food, the spectacular costs of maintaining livestock, and the difficulty associated with having to actively feed over 7 billion people, agrarian America is now a corporate business controlled by a monopoly of a small handful of corporations.
Utilizing Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal) and Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals) as a highly-informed set of narrators, Kenner captures the multiple viewpoints of almost all of parties affected by the privatization of the food economy.
Kenner’s film is broken down into three separate segments: an examination of the industrial production of meat, an analysis of the industrial production of grains and vegetables, and an explanation of the legal power afforded to large multinational corporations.
Food, Inc. is not a film for the faint of heart. There’s an almost fanatical sense of commitment to the idea of showing the exact methods and practices used to make our food. Editor Kim Roberts, therefore, deserves praise for her constant juxtaposition between strong opinion and brutal truth.
Furthermore, visual effects artist Nadia Husain deserves acknowledgement for the occasional informative cartoons that are blended into the film to push a particular message forward. Husain’s infographics manage to summarize essays-worth of information and are a surprisingly effective way of not bogging the film down with statistics.
Richard Pearce’s cinematography captures the inhumane treatment of livestock while also documenting the equally unfair treatment of food industry workers. Capturing footage from so-called factory farms, Food, Inc. refuses to shy away from the horrific practices guaranteed to grow the biggest chickens, the meatiest cows, and the fattest pigs.
In the farms of corporate America, Pearce’s camera seems to say both livestock and humans are treated like cattle.
Important is Kenner’s commitment to unbiased journalism. Though his film scandalizes players like Tyson Foods, Purdue Farms, and Monsanto Company for their needlessly cruel and unethical practices, the floor is constantly left open for rebuttal. Kenner also makes a point of discussing corporations who have shown a commitment to healthier foods and safer practices. Unfortunately, with the sole exception of Walmart, the cast of Food, Inc. was unable to get a response from any major food corporation.
However, the film undeniably contains an air of underlying malice targeted towards several parties. Corporations act to maximize their profits, which they can only do so if there’s a responsive market base to buy their product. The desires of humanity plainly guide corporations to unethical practices.
On the other hand, Kenner seems to argue that the inhumane treatment of animals by corporations begins with a consumer who demands more food and ends with a corporation prepared to do anything to make money.
Interesting are both Kenner’s thesis and conclusion. To Kenner, safer, more environmental and sustainable practices begin with the consumer. All it takes to make a difference is a well-informed electorate, coupled with an understanding of healthy eating.
It must be mentioned that Food, Inc. solely represents the American food industry. Apart from a few details about America’s cultural and economic influence on the rest of the world, Kenner’s film is targeted at the American people. However, I believe that the film is worth watching, not just because of its subject matter, but because of its intended message. Human problems can be easily solved by humans who care, even within the economic confines of capitalism.
The University of Guelph and the City of Guelph pride themselves on sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. Despite the fact that policy is already in place to guarantee a safe growing environment for our food, it is still our responsibility to continue these practices.
Food, Inc. therefore, is both a rallying cry and a warning sign designed to show exactly how bad things can get if any number of people grow too comfortable or too complacent. If Kenner’s conclusion is to be trusted, then the solution to this particular human problem begins with an informed and concerned consumer base.