Go see this movie. But be forewarned, it could quite possibly alter the way you and your family eat. This is a well-done documentary about the Food Industry in America. Yes, there are disturbing images – you see animals killed, you see slaughterhouses – but what’s truly appalling is the state our nation’s food system is in.
The film does a good job of outlining how just a few huge corporations have largely taken over food production in the United States. Interviews with journalists and authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) are woven throughout the film to explain how the current food system is basically unsustainable, because so much of it relies on oil, and frankly bad for us. The one element I would have liked to have seen explored more deeply is how the chemical giant Monsanto is ruthlessly going after farmers and seemingly taking over crop production with its genetically modified seeds.
The movie also points out exactly what the food industry doesn’t want you to know. Are there GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in that popcorn you’re eating? Is that burger from a cloned cow? The food industry doesn’t think it’s necessary to “confuse” consumers by putting that stuff on the label. So if you think you know where your food comes from or what exactly is in it, go see Food, Inc. and you will think again.
This may be the best dieting film ever. I want to see it, but I am afraid that I will only spend more money at the health food store for things that aren’t really any better. We can’t know what we are eating, right? So what do we do if we don’t live on a farm or have tons of money for the organic stuff? If it ever gets here, I will go see it. But no popcorn.