Guillot_Annotation+8

Rachel Guillot Film Annotation 8 Food Inc.

The film Food Inc. directed by Robert Kenner and released in 2008 is about the problems with the manufacturing, processing, and food system in the United States specifically. The film goes into detail on the problems along each stage of the food system, from growth to consumption to waste.

The matrix of sustainability problems begins with the American supermarkets which can house 47,000 products, have no seasons, import food, chemically ripen it, and create a curtain that hides the true origin of the food. Multinational corporations are partly to blame for this, the processes that our food goes through is hidden from us. The McDonalds Corporation began using the factory assembly line system in order to create food that fast and cheap. This led to low wages for workers who were easy to find replacements for. Uniformity, conformity, and cheapness were the key drivers behind this movement and the ones following. Now, in the United States, 3-4 companies control the majority of the meat in the U.S. This meat is also chemically altered to lead to the highest profit for the company. In Kentucky, the chicken industry grows their meat for Tyson and has little to no control over how it is done, they become slaves to the company and have to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to begin, yet only make about $18,000 a year leaving them and the rest of the region in debt. These large corporations create an allusion of diversity within the food industry. In the corn industry farmers are given subsidies thus encouraging them to over produce. Corn is over used in our food market; it is engineered to become part of almost every food and many non-food products that are made even though it is one of the most energy intensive products to grow. Corn is now being fed to animals in CAFOs to fatten them quicker but results in E. coli poisoning which is then passed to humans. Just putting the cows on a grass diet for 5 days will shed 80% of the E. coli disease. Many regulatory agencies are also controlled by industries leading to a lack of policies and regulatory measures. The USDA has been taken to court by industries for testing they have done and policies and the industries have won out over them. Industries have more protection and funds than humans. There are no ramifications for the companies who poison people and animals and in the economic crisis, funding for the FDA was reduced and there is a reliance on self-policing. Ammonia is used to cleanse meat of E. coli and then used as hamburger filler. The biggest predictor of obesity in humans is income and that is because they cannot afford to eat healthier foods including vegetables. In the meat-packing industry no care or respect is given to the worker, they are treated on the same level as the animals being slaughtered and the government is cracking down on them as illegal immigrants but not the companies hiring or bussing them to the United States. Organic companies are being bought out by larger corporations because they need mass production to compete and seed cleaners are being prosecuted. GMOs are overtaking natural seed and with them, the companies with their patents [Monsanto] who also have the ability to blacklist farmers unwilling to buy their seed. The government ties it has influence court decisions. Not only are we losing our freedom with our food but our skill and the public seed as well. The food industry now has almost as many rights if not more than the human. [Veggie Lible Law]. The controlling mentality we have and the creation of a “mystique” of cheap food where in reality the environment, our health, and society are paying for it are a few other points to the matrix.

The convincing parts of the film included the graphics and strong imagery. Though I was very disgusted by many of the different parts of the film and had to look away during some of the scenes, I believe that was the point of the film, to repulse the viewer so that they would be convinced enough to do something about the problems and look for alternatives. The narration of the film and chapter sequencing were done well to cohesively tie the parts together. The images and interviews, especially with the low income family and mother who lost a child to E. coli poisoning were especially emotional. The scenes moving through the factory were very compelling and the solutions at the end were done well for the viewer to be able to search out new sources.

It was difficult to find aspects of the film I was not as convinced by, but I was a little put off by some of the extreme graphics and I thought that the solution presented in the end went by a little too quickly on the screen.

The audience this film is best directed to includes older people, mature enough to handle the graphic scenes and emotional aspects. This film is especially good for audiences who are already vegetarians and parents of children. It is good for high school and older age children in my opinion. Educationally it would be a good film to show in a health class in high school and at a community event for parents, especially low income, and other people who make decisions on food purchases in their household.

Solutions mentioned in the film Food Inc. included educational programs and support groups, like the Teen Health Advocacy Group, appealing to government leaders, putting glass walls on processing facilities, making changes at the policy level, voting with your purchase, demanding wholesome food, and buying from companies that treat people, workers, animals, and the environment well. The film encourages demanding a goal from the government to send fewer people to the hospital thus creating healthier people rather than a higher GDP. Individually, one should eat in-season organic foods, read labels, buy local, plant their own gardens, and shop at the farmers market. The people with the greatest amount of problems are those in lower classes thus making sure that farmers markets accept food stamps and school lunches are healthy are key interventions.

I was interested to know what exactly [|veggie libel laws] are so I looked further into their definition and found that they are found in 13 states in the United States [Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas] and are laws passed that make it possible for food producers to sue critics for commenting on health risks [bacteria, saturated fat, pesticide, herbicide, GMOs, etc] about their product. The critic must then prove their statements as fact. It is not possible to raise awareness about an issue and call for further investigation. These laws restrict freedom of speech and protection of oneself. I thought it was interesting to note that the areas in which Food Inc. deemed it simplest to [|change the food system] were to: stop drinking sweetened beverages, eat at home instead of eating out, demand for food labeling, tell schools to stop selling soda, junk food, and sports drinks, go meat-free one day a week, buy organic and/or sustainable, food with little to no pesticides, use the local farmers market, read labels, speak up to the government, and speak up for farm workers and food processors. I also looked into RBST [recombinant bovine growth hormone] and the potential effects on the body. I had previously not thought to look for it on labels so I searched an [|RBST-free products list].