Author: Brandia Deatherage | Published: March 28th, 2010

    
Information is the Key

     Robert Kenner, Magnolia Pictures Participant Media and River Road Entertainment deliver an amazing glimpse beneath the veil of our nation's food production system with their documentary Food, Inc. Food, Inc. contains all the elements of a great documentary: the exposure of a great "social wrong" in this case, the entire system of food production; profiles of greedy villains who fight to maintain the status quo to protect financial interests at the expense of workers and consumers; and profiles of the noble souls who dedicate much of their lives to uproot the system and people responsible for perpetuating this wrong.

    Food, Inc. tackles its subject matter on the micro and macro levels, in that it illustrates the dangers of mass food production by providing glimpses into the horrors experienced by those affected, both animals and humans. Food, Inc. puts the spotlight on the dangerous chemicals in common foods, as well as on the public health hazards of having such a large food supply controlled and distributed by a very small group of multi-national corporations.

    Food, Inc. gives a brief, powerful overview of the lives of industry workers and outlines the perils they face on the job. It's really amazing to see how far some of these supposedly socially responsible members of corporate society will go in order to keep profits high and costs low. The film goes on to stress the importance of voting with our dollars, encouraging consumers to know who and what types of practices they are supporting when they make their food purchases.



    The film explores the apparent government sponsorship of such concentration of production by exposing the revolving door that exists between the corporate board rooms of our nation's most powerful food companies and the consumer protection agencies meant to oversee them. I won't give away the connections in this review, but I'm fairly certain you will be as shocked as I to discover who it is that's "looking out for you" and where their personal and financial interests lie.



    If I could change one thing about the movie, I would've spent a great deal more time illustrating the unsound connections between the regulatory agencies and the major food conglomerates. Food, Inc. seems to speed through this topic, which could have revealed some of the most important and useful information, only identifying the tycoons and other hypocrites by flashing copies of their business cards. The filmmakers could have earned their case more credibility by delving deeper into the muck and including actual footage of these bad guys in action.



    Altogether, Food, Inc. is a must-see for anyone who wants to know a little bit more about where the food they eat actually comes from and the conditions under which it is produced. Just remember, you can't un-see this film. The odds are, after watching Food, Inc., you'll never see the items on your local grocery store shelves in the same innocent light again.

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