Movies

The advent of technology and industrialization has brought numerous changes in the way humans are leading their lives. These changes are apparent in all aspects of human lives including the manner in which human beings are fulfilling their basic needs. Although technology and industrialization have aided human beings in increasing the production of food, it has also resulted in a situation where the quality of food is being overlooked completely. The documentary Food, Inc. directed by Robert Kenner brings forth the hold of corporate world on food production and its detrimental effects on the quality of food being produced in America. The documentary spans the journey of food which begins in the farms, managed by the food industry, and ends up in the stomach of the people. It shows how the food industry run by the corporate world is regulating food production to achieve its aim of amassing profits and thereby causing depletion in the quality of the food being produced.

    The documentary depicts the manner in which food is being produced to fulfill the needs of raw material for the food industry.  As the food industry is concerned only with the quantity of food produced, it neglects the quality of food and continues to serve its customers with food which has very low nutritional value. The meat utilized by the food industry is procured from farms where cattle are reared in an unhealthy way. Along with meat, the food industry serves its customers with harmful bacteria. Dargis (2009) mentions in his article that From there the director Robert Kenner jumps all over the food map, from industrial feedlots where millions of cruelly crammed cattle mill about in their own waste until slaughter, to the chains where millions of consumers gobble down industrially produced meat and an occasional serving of E. coli bacteria. (para. 2). Meat produced in this way enables food industry to provide its customers with cheap meat but the damaging effects this meat has on the health of the consumers is ignored by the food industry. Another food whose production and prices are influenced by the food industry is corn. As corn is used by the food industry in large quantities, the production of corn is taken under its control by the food industry.  Even the government aids the food industry by keeping the prices of corm extremely low. To reinforce his claim, the director presents the case of Monsanto, a food company, which has complete control on the production of corn. The hold of food industry on food production has led to a situation where processed foods are available at cheaper rates than the natural food. The documentary spreads awareness among the people regarding the low quality of food served to them by the food industry and also advises them to switch to local and organic food, for it is high in nutritional value and produced in a natural way.

Conclusion
    As the food industry is providing its customers with cheap processed foods, numerous people in America are consuming these processed foods without thinking about manner in which these foods are being prepared. The documentary Food, Inc. directed by Robert Kenner throws light on the way the raw materials needed by the food industry is procured. For the supply of meat, these industries rely on farms where cattle are reared in unhygienic conditions and diseased cows are slaughtered. I would surely recommend this movie to a friend, for it not only informs people about the quality of the food they are eating but also makes them aware of the reasons which are causing the reduction in the quality of their food and provides them with ways through which they can have healthy food instead of supporting the manipulative food industry by being a consumer of their processed foods.