Food IncForget about Godzilla, the boogyman and blood-sucking vampires; the real monster is the food most of us eat — at least according to “Food, Inc.” The documentary gives viewers “an unflattering look inside a corporate controlled food industry.”

What does that mean? It means that we’re in big trouble. The reason: the way we eat today has drastically changed from the way our ancestors enjoyed meals. According to “Food, Inc.” when you walk into the supermarket in search of tomatoes for example, you’re not buying tomatoes, but rather the idea of tomatoes.

The thought that we think we’re buying certain food products when we’re in fact getting something else is a very scary thought — but it doesn’t end there.

As Eric Schlosser (American journalist and author of “Fast Food Nation”) explains in the film, the food market in the United States is controlled by a small group of four corporations. So when you purchase beef at the market, 80 per cent of the meat comes from these corporations. And most of these large-scale companies act as suppliers to fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s. So even if you avoid eating fast-food, it catches up to you at your own dinner table. Now that’s another terrifying thought!

The film directed by Robert Kenner also shows how horrifying animal treatment is in many North American farms. Forget about the “old McDonald” stereotype of a farmer, these farms are more like factories that hold up to 30,000 chickens in dark rooms, and where thousands of cows are forced to stand in their own feces while being fed corn instead of grass (that’s a whole other story).

See, what many people don’t realize is that corn is kind of like a stalker that follows you around. From ketchup to coke to peanut butter and batteries, “Food, Inc.” shows that almost everything contains some form of corn.

The same goes for the many cows that are fed wheat. As Michael Pollan (American author and columnist) explains, the bacteria E. coli often spreads within cows that are fed corn, which is bad enough. But the documentary also points out that hamburgers often contain meat from thousands of different cattle, meaning that if one cow contracts E. coli, it will infect many burgers.

But it’s not just the animals that are badly treated in these farms, the mistreatment carries onto the staff as well. In North America, many farm owners work for these large corporations and as the film shows, they have very little say in their farming. “It’s like being a slave to your own system” one farmer says in the film. The documentary also shows the workers, many of which are recent immigrants, and how they’re treated as human machines in these farms.

Among the subjects interviewed for this movie is Barbara Kowalcyk, a woman who was thrown into the world of food advocacy by a tragic incident. In 2001, Kowalcyk was on a family vacation with her husband and her two-year-old son when he ate a hamburger infected with E. Coli. He drastically changed from being a healthy toddler to seriously ill and died 12 days later.

Ever since this incident, Kowalcyk and her mother Pat Buck have been demanding stronger FDA and USDA supervision. In America, one in every three citizens born after 2000 will contact some form of diabetes according to statistics from “Food, Inc.” meaning it’s quite a pressing issue.

And with all of these horrifying stories and facts, the film ends on a positive note: that changing the food industry is possible. From fighting for food products to be properly labelled to growing a personal vegetable garden when possible — everything helps.

This documentary isn’t meant to entertain. It’s meant to inform and act as an eye-opener. “Food, Inc.” brings up a valid point, that we’ve been ignorant to something so personal to us and it’s taking a toll on our health. After seeing this film you might realize that change can come about with every bite you take.

For more information, visit: www.TakePart.com/foodinc.






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