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FOOD INC.

Directed by: Robert Kenner

Rated:

Genre: Documentary

By John Delia

Move over Michael Moore, there’s a new moviemaker on the scene and he’s pulling no punches in the food game. Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner takes shots at the people who put the food on your table and he’s telling it like it is. But if you are timid, are picky about the food you eat, are squeamish when it comes to the slaughter of animals, you may want to think twice about seeing Food Inc. On the other hand, it’s about time we found out how that egg you eat arrives at your table, how meat gets to your local supermarket and what is being done to make sure it is edible.

Robert Kenner investigated the food industry that he says has often put profit ahead of consumer health, put the livelihoods of American farmers in jeopardy and has damaged our environment. In his expose he says that although our food appears the same (a tomato still looks like a tomato) it has been radically transformed. Tomatoes are bred to be shipped without bruising and to stay edible for months. With the use of animation and compelling actual film footage, viewers are shown some very disturbing growing methods that include a special soybean that is insecticide resistant.

And that is only the half of it as Kenner reveals how a handful of corporations control our nation’s food supply. He says that though the companies try to maintain the myth that our food still comes from farms with red barns and white picket fences, our food is actually raised on massive factory like farms and processed in mega industrial plants. His film states that animals grow fatter faster and are designed to fit the machines that slaughter them.

Although the film does make some good points, I found that it was somewhat one sided. Getting the other side of the coin is no easy task as Kenner depicts that most all those he tried to talk to that ran the factory farms, resisted an interview.

According to Kenner the outlook looks bleak and that the government should be able to control the way our food is produced. He lays out a string of facts that are hard to dispute including In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and E.coli 0157h7 so that if meat processed repeatedly failed these tests, the USDA could shut down the plant. After being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations, the USDA no longer has that power. In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold. Today, we have only 13.

The film does contain some very disturbing scenes involving animals and facts that may cause you to limit your intake of certain meats, so take this into consideration before choosing to see the film.

FINAL ANALYSIS: An interesting and eye opening look at food and the future of farming. (4.5 of 5 Palm Trees) For more information about FOOD, INC.

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/