Food, Inc.

In "Food, Inc.", consumers see what is going on "behind the scenes" of food production. We learn that food production has become a factory system. Each worker is designated to one simple task that they repeat over and over again, creating an assembly line. Due to this, workers are paid low wages, allowing for the price of food to be very cheap. This cheap, heavily subsidized food is the cause of obesity of many people. In the movie, for example, there was a family with a very low income level who could afford fast food's dollar menus, but they could not afford to buy healthier food from the grocery store. Also, the woman pointed out that the food that they ate was actually costing them more money, due to the cost of medicine that her husband needed for his diabetes. This "mass production" of food has also affected the public health in ways other than obesity. Putting cows on a corn diet increases the risk of E.coli - an acid resistant bacteria. Because cows are often standing in manure, E.coli is easily spreadable. In the slaughterhouses, manure often gets on the cows' hides and into the meat that we eat. In addition, the runoff from factories allows for E.coli to spread to other foods, such as spinach. Despite all the E.coli breakouts and related deaths, the government has not been doing a sufficient job of protecting consumers.

This has been the second time I have seen "Food, Inc.", yet the facts are still unbelievable. I think it is ridiculous how artificial food has become. It seems that nothing that we eat is natural anymore. The chickens that we eat are living in horrible, tight spaces with no sunlight, while fish are being forced to eat corn. Cows and pigs have similar treatment, and all of the animals take many antibiotics to keep them from getting sick off of the unnatural diet. Also, chickens are gaining weight so fast that their bodies cannot keep up. It amazes me that these chickens are to the point where they cannot even walk properly. In addition, hamburger meat has been cleansed with ammonia to kill bacteria. There seems to be so many chemicals and unknown products in food that consumers need to know about. However, I am sure that there are people who would rather be in the dark about what goes on in food production. So, would it be better to tell the public the ugly truth about food production or keep it to those who are interested? Also, the government seems to be more influenced by corporations, so what can we do to give more power to the people and ensure food safety and public health?