Food Inc. Review

Food Inc. Review

            I can’t say that this movie initially drew me in to its argument. At the beginning of the film, it comes off as somewhat melodramatic and biased for no particular reason against the globalization of corporations. It starts out with the same tone that it eventually ends with, before having made its argument as to why such a tone is appropriate. This is probably a result of the authors having dealt with the realities of the food producing operations that have developed in this country for so long that it is difficult for them to relate to the huge masses of people that have yet to “see through the veil” as it were. For example, the notion that so many products within a modern supermarket are simply rearrangement of corn carries little weight until after the argument against the huge monopolies of corn manufacturers has been made, which doesn’t really happen until almost the end of the movie.

             That said, the film does become increasingly convincing as it begins to explain the practical human effects of the huge system of food producing industries. The exasperation of dealing with these monolithic corporations on anything close to a personal level is obvious in so many of the examples that are provided that the weight of the whole system is tangible to the viewer. Chicken farmers, production line workers, competing grain farmers, immigrant workers, food safety advocates, and so on and so on all face the same basic problem. The organizations that produce the food that we demand are simply so big that nobody can challenge them in any meaningful way. Nobody. As a result of this, they can step on almost anyone that they choose in the pursuit of their goal: maximum throughput for maximum profit.

             The reason that these things are possible is that these corporations essentially control everything that the consumer sees with regard to the products that they are offered. They may not exactly control the media; films like Food Inc. are still being made, but by marginalizing their opposition and refusing to talk about any issues with their food production outside of their own controlled channels, they can effectively control the message that the public sees. The reason that they can do this is because the public lets them. Food production is an uncomfortable topic amongst people. They really don’t want to know about who takes care of their food or how, so long as it’s done. It’s somebody else’s problem, and thus is invisible. The palpable frustration that opponents of the system feel is due to the fact that since nobody can do anything to challenge the status quo, everybody has to. Affecting the wide scale consumer market is the only way effect change. This is very difficult to do, regardless of what the status quo may entail. So long as people stay fed and producers control what is seen of their operations, that it is how it will remain.