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Effects of agricultural on the environment
Government and food industry
Introduction agriculture effect on environment
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Food Inc. was a documentary produced by Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein that was about the dark sides of corporate farming and revealed how most of our food is produced. The film uses pathos, ethos, and logos to strongly get the points across throughout the film. The main point was that there is something wrong with our food and agricultural systems. The main speaker was Michael Pollan, an American author and journalism professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He attended Columbia University, Bennington College, and University of Oxford. Eric Schlosser also played a key role in the documentary. Schlosser is an investigative detective and American journalist who attended Princeton University, University of Oxford, and …show more content…
Food Inc. mentions, “In the 1970s, the top five beef-packers controlled only about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.” The main point during this section is trying to get across is that big corporations care mostly about making money and that to them, quantity above quality. From a political standpoint, many people like presidents of these major companies also work for the FDA and the USDA, allowing them to have a say on regulations. The audience for the documentary is the average American consumer. Since the food and agriculture systems affect all Americans, the producers tried to connect with everyone. By interviewing a low income family, a small farm, as well as larger farms, this documentary connected easily with people. By having such a large audience, they were able to spread awareness faster and easier and make change in the food …show more content…
The producers only showed the downsides of industrialized farming such as the way the farmers were at a disadvantage when signing a contract with big companies such as Tyson. What they failed to show was that industrialized farming produces food faster at a lower price making it easier to feed our growing population. The speakers often spoke with anger or sadness when referring to how are food is produced. The producers used images such as smoke-filled skies with factories in the background and businessmen in suits walking towards it. When they went to smaller farms, they showed sunrises and played peaceful, happy
Moreover, this system of mass farming leads to single crop farms, which are ecologically unsafe, and the unnatural treatment of animals (Kingsolver 14). These facts are presented to force the reader to consider their own actions when purchasing their own food because of the huge economic impact that their purchases can have. Kingsolver demonstrates this impact by stating that “every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we
...g statistics about the public’s health and make the future seem bleak, “the lifespan is shortening for new American children” (Pastor) and “ one in three children born after the year 2010 will develop type II diabetes” (Pastor). Pastor says that he is shocked by the impact and wants to break away from the cycle created. In his closing statements he convinces the audience to break away from the cycle away as well, by drawing on the seeds he planted with pathos, ethos, and logos. The film was well made and addressed all the issues of “organic” food and well informed the audience of what is occurring. Next time, an audience member goes to the supermarket to buy food they will probably remember what their children will look like in twenty years if they don’t take a more “organic” approach to their lives.
One subject that came up in this documentary was that of Broiler Chicken houses. Food.Inc made it seem as if these houses were cruel, and were bad for the chickens. The one chicken house owner they did interview, made it seem as if this job were terrible and that the regulations that they had were causing harm to the chickens. When they videoed them taking the chickens away to get processed, they made it seem as if they were abusing the chickens.
With regulations being set and laws enacted, the United States has seen a change for the better within the food industry and for the consumers overall. As a result, as much as a company is willing to cut on cost, without the consumers, every business in any industry will become bankrupt. The power is in the consumer and as long as consumers are educated properly and willing to speak up, there is a bright future ahead. However, because not everything can be seen, it is important to have books such as The Jungle and authors like Upton Sinclair to let people know what is going on and what not everyone is able to see. In doing so, this will raise awareness, create transparency and demand that companies practice ethically for the betterment of the
The tactics used for gaining land in foreign countries is a causing these developing nations to continue to have problems with food security. The mistreatment of the agro-workers and animals is just a way to get the most money in the least taxing way possible. The truth behind the global food system is told in this part of the book. The pros and cons are both listed, and even though the cons severely out-weigh the pros, I don’t believe there is going to be any change to peoples’ behavior towards food. I think this because although most people are informed that their food wasn’t grown in the best conditions, or treated as a family pet, but rather a means to an end, nothing has changed except for the fact that there are more documentaries like Food Inc. coming out. Something completely detrimental has to happen to the global food system in order for people to realize that what we are doing is not safe, healthy, or beneficial in the long run. Being aware of all these ethical issues in our food system is just the first step. Knowing how to provide a different solution to the problems we now face is the
Regulating what the government should control and what they should not was one of the main arguments our founding fathers had to deal with when creating our nation, and to this day this regulation is one of the biggest issues in society. Yet, I doubt our founding fathers thought about the idea that the food industry could one day somewhat control our government, which is what we are now facing. Marion Nestles’ arguments in the book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health deal with how large food companies and government intertwine with one another. She uses many logical appeals and credible sources to make the audience understand the problem with this intermingling. In The Politics of Food author Geoffrey Cannon further discusses this fault but with more emotional appeals, by use of personal narratives. Together these writers make it dramatically understandable why this combination of the food industry and politics is such a lethal ordeal. However, in The Food Lobbyists, Harold D. Guither makes a different viewpoint on the food industry/government argument. In his text Guither speaks from a median unbiased standpoint, which allows the reader to determine his or her own opinions of the food industries impact on government, and vise versa.
As obesity and medical problems due to diet become a larger issue within society, it is imperative to educate humans on the importance of maintaining a healthy diet. This is exactly what Hungry for Change does. One of the key points made in the documentary is that humans no longer eat a natural diet like their ancestors did; when humans first began to inhabit the Earth they lived off a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats. During these periods famine and disease was rampant, so humans adapted to store nutrition more productively. Now that humans live in a more developed society, they have a (practically) unlimited supply of food. However, much of this food is processed and manipulated to have a better flavour and a longer shelf life, and though this sounds like a positive situation, it has become a huge problem. According to best-selling women’s health author Dr. Christine Northrup, “We’ve lived on Earth for a millennium where there was a food shortage. You’re programmed to put on fat whenever there is food available. Now there’s a lot of food available, but it’s the wrong kind.” (Northrup, as cited in Colquhoun et al., 2012). This is a logical and widely accepted theory as to why humans continue to overindulge on foods despi...
In Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating,” this farmer tells eaters how their separation from food production has turned them into “passive consumers” who know nothing about the food they eat, or their part in the agricultural process (3). They are blindsided by a food industry that does not help them understand. Berry argues that the average consumer buys available food without any questions. He states consumers that think they are distanced from agriculture because they can easily buy food, making them ignorant of cruel conditions it went through to get on the shelf. Humans have become controlled by the food industry, and regard eating as just something required for their survival. Berry wants this to change as people realize they should get an enjoyment from eating that can only come from becoming responsible for their food choices and learning more about what they eat. While describing the average consumer’s ignorance and the food industry’s deceit, he effectively uses appeals to emotion, logic, and values to persuade people to take charge, and change how they think about eating.
Today’s modern society focuses on the need for bigger, better, and faster things. For filmmaker Robert Kenner there is no place this trait of greedy progress is more obvious than the modern food system. Robert Kenner’s film, food Inc., uncovers the unwanted truth behind the effects of the industrial food system, ranging from the abuse of the animals and workers to the destruction of the environment and public health. Kenner uses striking imagery and distinct comparisons to create and defend his claim that the industrialization of the farming process has negatively affected the animals, the workers, and the general public.
Food Inc. is a documentary displaying the United States food industry in a negative light by revealing the inhumane, eye opening, worst case scenario processes of commercial farming for large corporate food manufacturing companies. Food Inc. discusses, at length, the changes that society and the audience at home can make to their grocery shopping habits to enable a more sustainable future for all involved.
is a great documentary that uses pathos, ethos, and logos, it is very easy while watching this film to agree with the all of the points made and opinions formed. However, this is a very biased documentary that does not necessarily tell the entire story behind these company’s business plans or ideas. Major companies such as Tyson, Perdue, and McDonalds all declined to interview for this film. By doing this, the viewer automatically forms a negative opinion and assumes that Food Inc. is correct in its claims. Also, this film uses an overwhelming use of pathos. As stated previously, the death of Barbara Kowalcyk’s son Kevin was life changing and tragic. However, the film abused the element of pathos by showing the home video of Kevin happily playing with family and some of his last moments before his death. This is a very one-sided documentary that does a great job of persuading the viewer to change or strengthen its opinion on the food
One example of how the food industry is ruthless is when one of the CEOs of a fast-food chain states they are part of the problem is hired immediately. Though I don’t not find this wrong because if I was a stock-holder with my life savings invested within his company I would without a doubt have him fired for placing my money at risk. That is the harsh reality of economics, you cannot place you company in shock by either a damaging statement or bad executive move. I found most disturbing about the movie was how a case was being made against McDonalds that two obese teens did not know fast-food was unhealthy (Spurlock). Regardless of how they lived word of mouth had to have taught them fast food is not healthy, and if that didn’t health education has been in place for years now teaching us
influence in the farmers’ point of view. The farmers in the book translate to adults in real
And, because food now comes at a low cost, it has become cheaper in quality and therefore potentially dangerous to the consumer’s health. These problems surrounding the ethics and the procedures of the instantaneous food system are left unchanged due to the obliviousness of the consumers and the dollar signs in the eyes of the government and big business. The problem begins with the mistreatment and exploitation of farmers. Farmers are essentially the backbone of the entire food system. Large-scale family farms account for 10% of all farms, but 75% of overall food production (CSS statistics).
This book is a life changing book. It was inspirational, informative and gave you insight about the things we do not know about the food we eat. The documentary was graphic and detailed, informing you of the process from the farm or the fields, to the manufactures, to the labeling and packaging companies. It informed me, about the school lunches, how some of the meals at school are made, to the politics behind it. This book is also a collectible.