Response Paper 1

The most recent movie I’ve watched is “Food Inc” produced by Robert Kenner. I chose to review this movie because of the way it revealed the bully-like methods major food corporations utilize on its opposition, workers, and consumers. The information presented also presented me with the opportunity to make a difference in my own diet and influence the diets of others around me. The topic of the film showed how the use of science, money, and intimidation has revolutionized the way food is produced. For example, large companies have invested millions of dollars to take small competitors to court and eventually settle out of court because the small competitors can’t continue to pay for their lawyer fees. An example of how science plays a role in the food industry is the fact the production of meat has become a type of poultry assembly line.

Major events that are addressed include the food choices that people make as a consumer has a direct reflection on their health. For instance, families in the film explain that their busy schedules and lack of money forces them to select cheaper and easy to make foods. The ideal foods to turn to with those characteristics are fast foods. However, fast foods are much unhealthier than home cooked meals and as a result families that consume these cheap foods pay the consequences and medical conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Typically those conditions are found in adults but as the companies grow and have a greater influence on people it is noted that obesity and diabetes is occurring more often in young children. This relates to my own experiences because all around me it’s evident that this occurs around me. I have family members that are pre-diabetic because of the ultimatum of having to choice between healthy and costly foods. Unfortunately too often the cost of foods prevails over the nutritional value of foods.

I don’t watch movies like this too often but I am thankful that watching this film was an assignment and mandatory. I found the film to be useful because it is relevant to my life and the lives of many people around. While the film may have been disturbing at times I imagine that my peers also found this movie to be just as eye opening to them as I found it. I many things such as how the food industry is dominated by only a few major companies.