Ever wonder what goes into the food we eat on a daily basis? Are labels really telling the truth when they say their food is “organic?” The movie Food, Inc. has a lot of answers about the food industry, revealing all those nasty facts the companies have worked hard to keep hidden. The documentary is based on the book, Food, Inc., which is made up of interviews and essays written by the people featured in the movie. The film reveals that the government is also in on the corruption of the food industry; former presidents and CEO’s of food companies are currently occupying seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
What’s great about this film is that not only does it reveal the problem and address it, but it also gives the reader alternatives to make a change for themselves. My favorite part of the film was the section with Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, talking about his family-run farm in Virginia. The farm is completely independent from any large food company and they grow their crops and livestock organically and how farming was originally done, such as moving cows from pasture to pasture to graze and using old-fashioned harvesting equipment.
I haven’t seen very many documentaries, but as far as they go, Food, Inc. was thoroughly interesting. Unlike Super Size Me, another documentary about the food industry, but about the fast food industry, Food, Inc. is more informative about the facts that it gives and there is no consistent announcer or narrator leading the audience through the findings. However, the audience is shown the actual places where the food grows, such as poultry and beef plants as well as various crops and even to food research plants and processing factories. The film doesn’t just address the issue, it digs deeper and brings to light what the industry has tried to keep hidden for many years. For example, the movie discusses a lawsuit that took place with a soybean company, who was suing a soybean farmer for using a patented genetically modified soybean that they created without their permission and basically drove the farmer into bankruptcy.
Food, Inc. is a great start to any diet. Learning about the food being offered in grocery stores and in restaurants is a definite first step to living a healthier life and making better choices. Knowing what someone puts in their body is crucial if they want it to function well; healthy foods is the clean gas that keeps the machinery of a human body running they way it needs to.
