Review of Food, Inc.
Food Inc. (2008) is a film directed by Robert Kenner which takes us behind the veil of the business of food in the United States. The film is an unflattering examination of how food production in our country has become more consolidated over the past 50 years, relying on innovations in technology and means of production to cut costs to consumers and turn windfall profits. The decrease in prices and increase in overall production have come with enormous costs to the consumer, the employees of the corporate food companies, and the environment. Food Inc delves into the following topics, among others:
- Closed Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s)
- Farm Subsides
- E.coli poisoning
- Predominance of diabetes in lower income households
- The close connections between corporate food production and regulatory bodies like the FDA, USDA, and EPA
- The inability of regulatory bodies like the USDA and FDA to change things for the better due to the stranglehold the large corporations have on legislation and litigation
Some highlights and quick hits from the movie:
- 50 years ago, the top 5 beef producers in the US had only 20% of the market share. Currently the top 4 producers dominate 80% of the market share.
- In 1950, chickens were allowed 70 days to be raised to full maturity before slaughter. Currently, large corporations like Tyson mandate no more than 48 days.
- “The fact that I have to write a book to tell people where their food comes from shows just how far removed we are from it.” – Michael Pollan
- Under the Bush administration, the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry was given the position of chief of staff of the USDA.
- In 1972, the FDA conducted approximately 50,000 food inspections. In 2006, they conducted 9,164.
- “Our system is skewed towards bad calories. These calories are cheaper because they come from highly subsidized commodity crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans. This needs to be reversed in order to make carrots cheaper than chips.” – Michael Pollan
- 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will develop early onset diabetes. Among minorities, this number will be 1 in 2.
- “We’ve allowed ourselves to be wholly ignorant of something so intimate as the food that we eat.” – Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms
- When cheap American subsidized corn flooded the Mexican market, 1.5 million Mexican corn farmers were put out of business. Many of them were enticed to come work in American meat processing plants since they had no other option.
The film was very informative and truly serves it’s purpose of lifting the veil of where our food comes from. Beyond this, it presents a very bleak picture for both farmers and consumers. Due to significant lobbying, a lack of effective regulation, the threat of litigation, and massive financial reserves, the corporations in charge of what we eat are in a position to dictate the terms. They have effectively lowered the price of their raw materials (corn, wheat, and soybeans) through farm subsidies, allowing them to supply fast food and processed products at lower prices than fresh foods. This presents a very painful dilemma for people on a budget who are trying to maintain a healthy diet. As Michael Pollan said, we desperately need to find a way to make carrots cheaper than chips.
