Most movies dealing with the business of food are jam packed with horrible images and generally scary content. They typically seem hell bent on scaring you and then the movie just ends. This was not the case with Food, Inc. Sure, the film included the obligatory clips of the mistreatment of animals and other not so pleasant topics, but in the end I didn’t leave feeling powerless, I left thinking that I could, in a small way, begin to correct what is happening.
The movie was laid out around many topics, each of which is covered only briefly. They offer a description of what each problem area with our food supply is and then brought in some people to help put a real face to the issues. You hear from a pig farmer, a corn farmer, a mother who lost a child, a farmer doing things the ‘old’ way and a company selling product to Wal-Mart, among others. It’s really quite interesting to see a day in the life of a farmer these days and what has changed.
I don’t want to give away anything from the movie itself but I wanted to write something short up to clear up a misconception I had about the movie that I’m sure others will have as well. The movie is tough to watch, of course, but it’s worth it. It’s unlike most movies of this genre. It’s about the facts and it’s about what we as consumers can do to change them.
If you live in New Hampshire as I do, you don’t have a lot of options to watch the film. I had to travel an hour or so north to Concord, NH to find a theater that was showing it. The theater, Red River Theatres, that I saw it at was great. I’d never been there before, or even heard of it, but will go back.
Even if you have to travel further then you would for most movies, I think it’s worth it. At the very least, keep an eye open for the DVD when it’s released. It’s a movie I think everyone should see. You may not have any problem with the way food is made, or the companies that control it, but everyone should know where their food comes from. The picture on the package you buy from the store of a farm with a green pasture dotted with wild flowers could not be further from the reality.
Topslakr