Do you remember all the times you and your family grilled out during summer nights, or perhaps that huge turkey you and your family devoured last Thanksgiving? Did you ever wonder what exactly you were eating? Today there is much controversy over the way that food manufacturing companies process our food and to which extremes they go through in order to increase profit. If this is the case then who is monitoring their actions, “In 1972, the FDA conducted approximately 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted 9,164”(Food Inc.). As it seems, there are little efforts made to oversee what exactly these manufacturers are doing during production. The protection of the American people’s food is at stake and the 2008 highly-acclaimed documentary Food Inc. is set out for its defense.
Food Inc. took many strides towards informing citizens of the truth behind closed doors. Throughout this film they tackle many different issues yet hold a strong stance in the meat packing industry. The producers back up the vital images shown in the film with resourceful evidence for support. However other critics feel differently. “This is one slickly marketed piece of work”, says Dorothy Woodend of, The Tyee. She continues to discuss how the producer`s hidden message in this film is “propaganda”; meant to entice viewers into buying organic or all-natural foods, even though most of which are produced just like processed foods. "Organic" farmers routinely spray their crops with naturally occurring pesticides - and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified pyrethrum, a top organic pesticide, as a "likely human carcinogen."(Avery), in other words organic and conventional farmers, farm their crops in a very similar manner. To defend the film against naysayers, I will admit it is true that there are some marketing elaborations for StonyField and other organic companies yet it does not necessarily mean the entire documentary was produced with a bias towards whole-foods.
There are many truths to be discovered in this film such as the chemicals laced within our foods and the possible diseases they can carry. “There were over 14 documented cases of people being found positive with E-coli in June of 2012 alone, from packaged meat” (Mariam Falco). This film provides viewers with the knowledge that because of the non-natural all corn diet consumed by cattle, they fail to produce a much needed bacteria in their stomachs that kills off E. coli. Often times because the cattle are so cramped together and are forced to stand in their own feces, they can easily pass the virus on to other cows. The producers also uncover that these infected meats are commonly recalled weeks after consumer E. coli cases are already released. To support the previous claim the Huffington Post writes, “According to the FDA mostly all packaged and canned meat is permitted to have on average of 50 accounts of infectious meat per every 100 pounds” (FDA Approved). The article continues to state that for some products, as much as 30 insect fragments per 10 grams are allowed. Though some skeptics may ridicule the film for its falsifying of information, I believe the films facts to be nothing but genuine and significant.
The film justifies its authenticity by showing the vast number of grotesque images of inhuman acts committed upon farm animals. These acts include, inducing chickens with steroids to the point of exhaustion, Downer cattle being pushed into slaughterhouses with forklifts, and the flooding of pig farms. “There is a real message in the film that animals should not be treated as machines or production units”(Liberation BC). This statement holds value when determining how the food of the American people is protected. When the viewer sees how these animals are treated they can only help but wonder how the manufacturers can even begin to care for the well being of its consumers. Alongside this concept, the viewer can actually see the very moment in which their food is being infected or contaminated by its environment. Whether it is during the animal’s lifespan or once they are being processed, they are continuously being filled with diseases and or chemicals. If all people knew about these facts, they`d most likely start reconsidering about what they eat and who is protecting their food.