Food, Inc.

Food, Inc., is a 2008 film that looks at how our food is produced and controlled by corporations who- shockingly- may not have our best interests in mind.  Various topics are covered, including poultry, beef, corn, and seed production.  In each case, the movie looks at how the desire for efficiency and profit can drive companies to change how things are produced in ways that may have significant (negative) consequences for us all.

The film makes a lot of good points- I was aware of most of the concepts discussed, and agree that things need to change.  The movie, however, was also quite slanted/biased, and that got annoying.  You can convince people of the need to change without resorting to deception.  It was poorly researched, and some half-truths were conveniently presented.  The argument that bothered me most was the low-income family they showed, 'forced' to eat fast food because healthy food is more expensive.  Here's my opinion: nobody is forced to eat anything.  You can eat better in smart ways.  The film goes on to talk about how junk food ingredients are subsidized, driving down the cost.  If that's true, it's wrong, so they should stop that.  That would drive prices of such food up, though, right?  Wouldn't that make it harder for lower-income families to eat, if they're 'forced' to consume garbage today?  I'm ranting . . . I apologize.  Anyway, bias aside, there are good points here.  The most powerful one is true of all things in a capitalistic society: people vote with their money.  If you want things to change- if you want companies to raise healthier animals and produce better products- buy the healthy stuff today.  Corporations care about profit- so choose wisely, and they will out of self-interest.

Rating: B-