Movie Review – Food, Inc. (The Truth About the Food Industry, What Do We Know?)

The documentary ‘Food, Inc.’ exposes the unethical and unsanitary behavior of large food companies, and highlights the impact of consumer choices on the food industry. The movie points the way forward for our society by changing perceptions about ethical consumption and food safety.

 

‘Food, Inc.’ is a documentary by director Robert Conner that was released in 2008 and shocked many people. The movie made waves in our society by exposing the dark underbelly of large American food companies and the truths we didn’t know but needed to know. This documentary film shocked me and gave me a new perspective on many issues in the food industry that I had previously overlooked.
As industrialization accelerated and capitalism became more widespread, large food companies were created, and the power of these large food companies has led to many problems, one of which is ethical issues. Many livestock, such as cows, pigs, and chickens, were being improperly raised in what can no longer be called farms, i.e., factories, and then mercilessly slaughtered when they reached maturity. Cows were being forced to eat cheap, indigestible corn feed, chickens were being raised in cages with no access to sunlight, and pigs were being squeezed into compressors and painfully slaughtered. I’m not a vegetarian, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with eating meat, and I think it’s important that it’s raised in an economically efficient way, but I think there needs to be more respect for these animals as living beings in the process of being raised and slaughtered.

 

 

Another issue is hygiene. Large food companies have turned to corn, the cheapest feed, to mass-produce cheap beef, which has led to outbreaks of mutant E. coli O157 in the stomachs of cattle fed the wrong feed. O157 is a terrifying bacteria that became an issue in the mid-1990s and has killed countless people around the world. In the movie, a young child died after consuming such beef, and food companies started using ammonia to kill O157. But is ammonia harmless to the human body, and will we ever step in poop to avoid peeing? This movie should make us think twice about whether we’re doing something stupid that could jeopardize our survival.
Finally, there’s the nutritional issue. Contrary to popular belief, there are low-income people in the U.S., and just like in Korea, the nutritional problems of low-income people are reaching serious levels. In this situation, the reckless behavior of large food companies has further jeopardized the health of consumers. In the movie, a diabetic father and his young children are shown eating only fast food because they cannot afford expensive vegetables and fruits. This shows that large food companies are forcing consumers to make choices and jeopardizing their health by offering nutritionally unbalanced foods at low prices and dominating the food market. Food companies have also pulled the wool over consumers’ eyes by trying to avoid labeling ingredients and calories that consumers need to know. The dominance of food companies has left consumers ill-informed and unable to make good choices, contributing to the nutritional problems in our society.

 

 

There are many other problems with the food industry that can be found in the movie, and to solve them, it is necessary to sanction the reckless behavior of food companies. In the movie, it is said that ‘If consumers want it, producers will supply it unconditionally.’ This quote suggests that in a free competitive market, there is no one as scary as the consumer, and the united action of consumers is powerful. Therefore, solving the above problems will require the efforts of many people, including governments, food companies, and animal organizations, but the most important thing is to change consumer awareness and behavior.
‘Food, Inc.’ is about the food industry, and I was more interested in it as a person majoring in food and nutrition, but this movie will provoke deep reflection and consideration about what attitude we should take toward various social issues in the future, regardless of our respective fields.
The movie makes us rethink not only the problems of the food industry, but also the nature of all the products and services we consume. For example, we need to consider the environmental impact of our consumption patterns, the rights of workers, and whether products are ethically produced. This is not just limited to the food industry, but to all the goods and services we interact with every day, and there is an urgent need for consumer education.
The solution to this problem is to educate consumers. This means educating consumers so they know how the products they consume are produced and what ethical issues arise along the way. Second, we need stronger government regulations and policies. Legislation should be enacted to strengthen food safety standards and force companies to follow ethical production practices. Third, we need to emphasize corporate social responsibility. It’s not just about profits, it’s about getting companies to fulfill their social responsibilities. Finally, it’s important to change consumer perceptions. Consumers should no longer choose products based on price alone, but should be able to make purchasing decisions based on the ethical production of the product.
In the end, Food, Inc. is not just a documentary about the problems of the food industry, but it raises issues about the entire culture of consumption in modern society. It should make us examine our own consumption patterns and strive to practice more ethical and sustainable consumption.