The Harsh Truths of the Food Industry, Exposed by the Movie Food Inc “If you live in a free market and a free society, shouldn’t you have the right to know what you’re buying? It’s shocking that we don’t and it’s shocking how much is kept from us” (Kenner). For years, the American public has been in the dark about the conditions under which the meat on their plate was produced. The movie, Food Inc. uncovers the harsh truths about the food industry. This shows that muckraking is still an effective means of creating change as shown by Robert Kenner’s movie, Food Inc. and the reforms to the food industry that followed its release. The movie Food Inc. was made possible by the director, Robert Kenner (“Filmmaker bio”). Kenner dedicated over six …show more content…
was the sheer power that big companies possess the food industry. The top 4 meat packing companies which are Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill Meat solutions, and Smithfield Foods; control 90% of the meatpacking in the United States (Kenner). In addition to that, there were more than 1,000 slaughterhouses in the U.S in 1990, but in 2007 there was only 13 (Kenner). In the film Food Inc. a union organizer explained how Smithfield was taking advantage of low income workers, especially undocumented immigrants. Smithfield chooses low income, rural settings for its giant slaughterhouses, such as the hog slaughterhouse in Tar Heel, NC which is the world's largest slaughterhouse (Kenner). This way Smithfield can manipulate workers into doing about anything with the threat of losing their jobs, most often to keep quiet about what happens inside the slaughterhouse …show more content…
There is many examples of these companies controlling the government, but the most notable is Justice Clarence Thomas. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was a Monsanto lawyer before he became a supreme court justice (Kenner). Justice Thomas used his power to write and sign a bill that prohibited farmers from saving their own seeds (Kenner). Another clear example of the government being controlled by the food industry is Michael Taylor (Kenner). Michael Taylor was a lawyer for Monsanto, specifically concerning GMO labeling. He oversaw the FDA’s decision not to label GMOs while he was the Deputy Commissioner of Policy for the FDA (Kenner).There are many other examples of the government being controlled by big companies, including a member of President Clinton’s advisory board, a past NC Senator, the FDA branch chief and the EPA Deputy Administrator
For decades, the fast food industry has become victim to rumors and false claims. McDonald’s is no stranger to misinformation regarding the ingredients of their food. These problems are especially relevant to today’s society, as many people distrust large corporations.
The author of My Year Of Meats, Ruth L. Ozeki talks about concealment through the perspective of hormones that are put into the meat and the negative aspects that concealing the beef industry has on society. Pachirat argues that concealment through the brutality and corruption of slaughterhouses in the United States and how ignorant society is of the true horrors going on behind the walls of the slaughterhouses. Both of these authors are approaching the same goal of trying to make a political change in the way society runs but both of them do so through different ideas and techniques. Both of these techniques are equally as effective when forcing the reader to consider the negative consequences of trusting the meat industry that is so cleverly concealed from the sight of society. It is these ideas and implications that make the texts important to make a shift in society and what may result in a political change such as one that happened in Chicago in the
In the modern world, customers and consumers intake a variety of foods; but primarily, foods from the fast food production industry. Under the images of farmers, ranchers, and animals on certain food products, there’re actually assembly lines in factories supervising the distribution of the food we eat today. The film Food Inc. directed by Robert Kenner takes its audience to the examination and inspection of the industrial production of meat in the United States, and revealed its hidden truth, emphasizing on the harm it has on the environment, animals, and the human population, which is crucially important and vital to the development of our nation. Back then in the 20th century, Upton Sinclair wrote about the errors and flaws in the meat packing
At the turn of the twentieth century “Muckraking” had become a very popular practice. This was where “muckrakers” would bring major problems to the publics attention. One of the most powerful pieces done by a muckraker was the book “The Jungle”, by Upton Sinclair. The book was written to show the horrible working and living conditions in the packing towns of Chicago, but what caused a major controversy was the filth that was going into Americas meat. As Sinclair later said in an interview about the book “I aimed at the publics heart and by accident hit them in the stomach.”# The meat packing industry took no responsibility for producing safe and sanitary meat.
Food, Inc is a documentary directed by Robert Kenner and co-produced by Eric Schlosser that was released in 2009. The purpose of this film is to inform how the food industry has changed from farmers making products to companies controlling them on how to mass produce. This new way of farming that is unhealthy to Americans and it is also harmful for the animals that have to live in unsanitary conditions. Food, Inc is an effective film because it shows how the companies have taken over the control of farmers in the food industry by mass producing foods and how these foods could have negative effects on humans and animals. Food, Inc is an effective film because it encourages Americans
Kenner states the eighty percent of the food market industry is controlled by the top four businesses. This relates to the claim because we know where it is coming from and who controls it. Also shown in the film was the hispanic family who made poor eating choices by choosing to eat fast food due to their busy lives and the struggle to afford fruits and vegetables. On top of that, the father was unhealthy and his medicine was too expensive. Another example of logos is when the film explains how bad conditions are only for the animals we ingest. They explain how cows are fed corn because it is cheaper, though, this increases the risk of E-coli in cows. This is terrible because cows are fed things that make them fat and
A documentary, Food Inc., is a prime example of what food industries don’t want you to see in order to make their business successful and increase sales. The section of the film discusses the hidden secrets behind slaughter houses, pesticides, factories and farmlands. These industries keep the truth hidden mainly because of the fear of consumers not wanting to eat their product if they knew what they were really eating and how it was processed. Although, the documentary favors a one sided viewpoint, it does expose consumers a
However, Kenner’s film has the capability to elicit feelings of remorse and anger from anyone. It is unquestionable that one will end the film with a new perspective on their food.
The author begins with an evaluation of the ignorance of the “today” consumers regarding the whole process of food, from the land, or factories where it originates to the consumers’ table, where it ends. The author writes: “For them (The consumers) food is pretty much an abstract idea –something they do not know or imagine- until it appears on the grocery shelf or on the table” (Berry 64). The author then continues and defines the word “Industrial eater” that is essentially the type of consumer that does not know the link between eating and the land, and who is therefore passive and uncritical, the author calls those eaters victims (Berry 64). The writer utilizes the term victim to cleverly generate a connection between: food, consumer awareness, food industries, and ultimately freedom. One cannot be free if someone else controls his/her mind and voice; equally, one cannot be free if the food and its sources are controlled by someone else (Berry 66). The analogy acts as a wake-up call for the consumers in order to make them comprehend the importance of understanding the origin of the food as well as unfolding the real goal of the food industry, profit. Wendell Berry’s essay is greatly more critical when it comes to the modus operandi of the food industry and its ethical principles than Trish Hall’s article. Wendell Berry, then, gives seven distinct instructions on how to eat responsibly. Four of the seven points concern learning more about the food we eat and its origin as well as the extra chemicals added to it by the food companies. For the remaining points, the author, advises to grow your own food if possible, to deal directly with local producers and to prepare your own food by avoiding precook products (Berry 68-69). All these
One of the main practices through which food corporations gain power over the government is through what is known as “revolving door” politics. This type of politics involves individuals moving between the private and public sector of a specified field, such as food. Executives and others affiliated with food corporations are now in charge of regulating them within the government and vice versa. One prominent example of this would be with the aforementioned agricultural comapnay, Monsanto, as seen in Donald Barlett and James Steele’s article “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear”. In 1993, the company gained the approval from the Food and Drug Administration to use rBST, a growth hormone to increase the amount of milk produced and something hardly needed (Barlett & Steele 138). The question we are left with is “Why?” and if one were to look back at the government at the time of this approval, they would see it filled with those affiliated with Monsanto, such as Michael Friedman, the former F.D.A.’s deputy commissioner who became a Monsanto senior vice president in 1999 (Barlett & Steele 139). This is a perfect example of “revolving door” politics. Those who created the regulations are now working for the companies they monitored. Such practices should make the general public wary of our government’s regulatory agencies. How are we supposed to trust our public officials if they can simply create policies
Food, Inc (2008). Food, Inc reveals the truth about how corporate controlled food company are poisoning us with harmful chemicals that boosted agribusiness financially, but endangered human health generally. It shows in its two segments, the abusive treatment to animals in meat production and the danger that is prevalent in production of corn. Basically we are leaning heavily on GMO goods which are produced for quantity rather than quality.
The director wants to make Americans disgusted by how their food is handled by the government. The documentary was produced to make Americans wake up from their unhealthy way of eating. The main claim of this documentary is that the public does not know what is going on behind closed doors. He is trying to get the public to understand where their food is really coming from and how unhealthy it really is. This film targets multinational corporations that include, Smithfield Foods, Tyson, Perdue, and Monsanto as the most powerful corporations in agriculture and food markets, claiming that they control everything.
The acts created by the book gave the American public peace of mind, but operating under these century old laws today still causes meat that is contaminated to be distributed to the public, even with inspection of carcasses (Hinderliter). The argument involved in this problem is that it is impossible to inspect every single piece of meat, so spot checking is the only method considered necessary. Despite this fact, Patrick J. Boyle, President and Chief Executive of the American Meat Institute, believes otherwise, as stated in the New York Times. “Meat supply is the safest, most and abundant, and certainly the most affordable in the world,” he proclaims (Boyle). Boyle then goes on to explain bacteria levels and e-coli outbreaks have dramatically decreased, and how thorough and persistent inspectors are in factories. Despite this supposed good news, there are many drawbacks to the meat market. Though packing has evolved due to technological advancement and greater understanding of pathogens, bacteria, and contamination, monetary issues are holding Americans back from the opportunity for to receive the highest quality meat (Hinderliter). Mandatory labeling of meat and all of today’s modern equipment for inspecting meat drives up prices, as does organically grown food. Over the past decade, organically raised food has become increasingly popular due to the fact that it is both
Catering to clientele demands, supermarkets purposely overstock shelves to provide the façade of limitless abundance. According to Dana Gunders, these profitable food landscapes lead to the disposal of unsold--but still edible--produce that surpasses the “sell-by” date or items that are excessively touched or bruised by browsing customers. Gunders also adds that the cornucopia of supermarkets smothers and overwhelms customers, “awakening every omnivore’s dilemma: what in the world shall I eat?” As a privileged nation, it is with certainty that one can say that the United States is slowly but surely forgetting how to eat: “we’re uncertain when foods have gone bad, and when we aren’t sure, they’re tossed” (Bloom 134). Americans are increasingly showing the world that they know nothing about the food they use to sustain themselves and are slowly losing their ability to cook for
One of the last phrases in the film Food Inc. encourages the audience to take action by stating, “[t]he FDA and USDA are supposed to protect you and your family. Tell Congress to enforce food safety standard and reintroduce Kevin’s Law.” The film, Food Inc., displayed the harsh realities of America’s current food debacle. There is emphasis on the importance of American consumers to support a better, healthier food industry. The film utilizes visual techniques such as backgrounds, color choice, and composition, consumer and professional testimonies, sounds and music, and phrases on a blank screen to persuade and inform their audience. Food Inc. effectively persuaded their audience of American consumers that the food most commonly supplied and