“You'll never look at dinner the same way again.”
You may find yourself quietly dumping your popcorn at some point during this movie. There are a number of compelling reasons for this. Firstly because there are one or two fairly disturbing scenes of animal violence (especially if you have a sensitive stomach). Secondly, because once you learn just how dodgy the big food processing companies are, you can’t help but spend the rest of the movie wondering just what the heck went into the popcorn you were so blithely popping into your mouth.
Directed by Robert Kenner, Food Inc is yet another of the very popular movie documentaries produced lately that have addressed varied issues of concern such as fast food (Super Size Me), the environment (An Inconvenient Truth) and animal cruelty (The Cove). All of these movies have played important roles in cleverly creating awareness while educating the public. Food Inc is a little Ameri-centric because it focuses on the shady ethics applied by major food processing companies operating in the States, but the principals of business they challenge would really apply to any capitalist country.
Food Inc investigates how the food industry in America has become dominated by huge companies in recent years. It exposes some of what has been going on behind closed doors such as how the farmers are controlled by becoming economically indebted to the companies; and also how many animals are now farmed and slaughtered in very inhumane ways in order to cut costs. Some of these farming practices (such as feeding cattle only on corn instead of grass) have been scientifically proven to have adverse health effects on the human population as well.
Certain scenes in Food Inc are highly disturbing – no meat eater actually wants to see how animals are produced and killed to support their diets. There is also a very sad story of a mother who lost her young son to E.coli poisoning from eating a hamburger because the food companies have become powerful enough to subversively control their own quality control programs. You also learn how obesity is a greater problem amongst the poor because processed food is much cheaper to produce that healthy food.
However, the viewer should keep in mind that this film is hugely one-sided. In terms of filming quality and story arc, it is a definite step down from the The Cove, but also you cannot help but feel you are hearing one half of a discussion. While I would wholeheartedly endorse eating organic food and more humane farming practices, you are still never offered another point of view. At least Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth dealt with some of his detractors arguments, while Food Inc makes no attempt to do this whatsoever.
Still the overall message is an important one to engage with and Food Inc is a fairly well made documentary even if is it a step down from some of its more illustrious predecessors. A healthily organic 3 out of 5 for the overall viewing and educational experience of this film.