Food Inc. Summary and Critique

Food Inc. summary and critique Food, Inc. (2008) aims to bring attention to how food processing in the United States has changed during the last 50 years and the pressure farmers are put under by the major food producing companies that they work for. The documentary focuses on three different aspects of food production: the meat industry including beef, chicken, and pork; the corn industry; and the soybean industry. Food, Inc.

(2008) begins by explaining how the food production industry has transitioned from independent farming that supplied a limited amount of food to an industry of mass production that will do anything and everything possible in order to produce the most food in the shortest amount of time including genetically modifying food. The film begins by looking into the mass production of chicken for human consumption. Food, Inc. (2008) explains how farmers are forced to conform to industry standards or lose their contracts with whatever major company employs them.

The film then shifts its focus to the beef industry and the unhygienic conditions that are prevalent in the industry. Food, Inc. (2008) also briefly touches upon the pork industry, but it does not go into as much detail as it does with the chicken and beef industry. Food, Inc. (2008) also touches upon the corn industry and explains how corn products are found in a great majority of products including soft drinks and processed cheese.

Furthermore, corn is also used to provide feed for chicken, beef, and pork, which further emphasizes the interconnectivity of the food industry. Additionally, Food, Inc. (2008) provides insight into the legal issues that are prevalent in the food industry, from a lack of food quality control to being sued for libel or patent infringement. As such, the few food companies that control the mass production of food, also want to control their image, and protect it from any negative criticisms, even if said criticism is true. Food, Inc.

(2008) provided great insight into the food industry and allowed me to better understand how food production and manufacturing is controlled by a few major companies including Tyson, Perdue, and Smithfield, which were the few mentioned in terms of mass meat production. The condition in which meat is produced in the United States is appalling and makes me consider the choices I have made as a consumer.

Some of the most disturbing aspects of the meat industry -- chicken and beef -- where the inhumane conditions that the animals bred for consumption were kept under. The scene that made me reconsider my meat choices was not any of the beef being slaughtered or meat being processed for hamburgers, but rather the scene in which a cow had a plug inserted into its side that allowed a person to look directly into it while it was still alive. One of the most shocking aspects of Food, Inc.

(2008) was the control that Monsanto has over farmers and veggie libel laws. It is appalling that Monsanto is more concerned with making a profit than the well being of the public and also the well being of the world as they have also disrupted food production on a global scale. Furthermore, it is appalling to see how Monsanto uses.