EC: Food, Inc.

I honestly don’t know where to begin talking about Food, Inc. It’s disgusting to be informed on all the terrible things our food is put through. Like this thing called a chemical bath which soaks the meat in chemicals like ammonia. This film shows both sides of the food system. One side is the industrial producers and the other is organic producers. You see the revolting images of animals being slaughtered and screaming in fear for their lives. It doesn’t open with that disturbing scene, it shows beautiful, natural, green farms. They draw you in by giving the perfect picture of agrarian America.

Food, Inc. film poster

It introduces the main source of blame for food being industrialized, McDonalds. They changed kitchen into factory lines and are based around uniformity, conformity, and cheapness. Everything has been made to taste the same, which has changed how everything is produced. There are now only a handful of companies that control food packaging which are companies like Tyson. No matter if you eat fast food or not, you can’t get away from this system. 

The film covers a variety of food based topics like food safety, seed patents, corn production, chicken production, etc. I think it’s good for Americans to see behind this curtain that hides the truth about food. We have a right to know what we’re eating, where it comes from, and how it’s grown. It should be illegal for companies to hide the process from us. Tyson, Smith Field, and other meat producers do not allow cameras into their factories. They even refuse to be interviewed on the topic. Why is this fair to us consumers? What can we do about it?

A great food advocate and mother is shown in the film. Her name is Barb Kowalcyk and her son Kevin died from a severe strain of E. coli 0157:H7, at the age of  two and a half years old. Kevin contracted this disease from eating a contaminated hamburger. Barb is a food advocate because of this experience and talks to members of Congress about the idea of Kevin’s Law. This bill would have given the USDA power to shut down plants who sell contaminated meat. 

Barb Kowalcyk

We as consumers can no longer escape contaminated food. Cow hides are caked in manure and how are they supposed to clean it off when they’re slaughtering 400 cows per hour? They don’t so, our beef patties are a combination of ground beef and cow shit. Doesn’t that sound appetizing? What makes it worse is what they’re feeding the cows. By feeding them corn, E. coli is festering in their guts. If the industry fed them grass for only five days, it would flush the E. coli out. But, why should they care about food health? They’re not the FDA or EPA.

When you think it’s not even possible for our food situation to get worse, it does. Our government is filled with workers from the evil seed giant Monsanto. Monsanto creates GMO’s and patents each of their seeds. So, no farmer is able to own their own livestock; Monsanto owns life. They even place employees in government agencies that are supposed to help keep our food and environment safe. It has been twisted and distorted to seem like the government cares. They obviously don’t when the FDA and EPA are filled with big corporation employees.

Image descripting the terror of industrial farms

You must watch this film. Food, Inc. is an incredible source of information that every person should be awoken with. They’re are so many important topics I didn’t even talk about, so go into Netflix and watch it now. 

The end of Food, Inc. is a black screen with inspirational quotes fading in and out. Quotes like:

“You can vote to change the system. Three times a day.”

“You can change the world with every bite.”

“Hungry for change?” Are you?