Food Inc
FOOD INC.: An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Movie Review by Markovist Wells
Professor Patrick Elliott
POLS 1101-511
Essay Question: In what ways does this movie demonstrate the “Iron Triangle” and its powerful influence in the manner that our government functions?
In the documentary Food Inc. The message is that the food industry does not want us to know about what we are eating. . This problem may be true however it is driven by the consumer’s continual interest in buying cheaper and cheaper products. The farmers way of life has been revolutionized. Modern farmers think faster, cheaper, bigger. It’s really not until when consumers demand quality over cost will there be changes in the food industry. I believe that the “toxic” food environment is a byproduct of the iron triangle that exists within our government and key actors from the food industry, food science, and the media. An iron triangle is a closed, mutually supportive relationship that exists between government agencies, special interest groups, and legislative committees with jurisdiction over an area of government policy. In other words, the government issues guidelines on how Americans should eat, the food industry creates products to meet the need of Americans’ innate taste for sweet, sour, bitter, and salty and the media reports on new food products based upon how well the product fits into a healthy diet. The Iron Triangle relationship in the food industry as it relates to Food Inc. would be the Monsanto Company. It is a publicly traded American multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is a leading producer of genetically engineered herbicide glyphosate, under the round up brand.
Monsanto was a pioneer in applying the biotechnology industry business model to agriculture. Agriculture, in other words, agribusiness (the food industry) is an interest group that seeks to
Movie Review by Markovist Wells
Professor Patrick Elliott
POLS 1101-511
Essay Question: In what ways does this movie demonstrate the “Iron Triangle” and its powerful influence in the manner that our government functions?
In the documentary Food Inc. The message is that the food industry does not want us to know about what we are eating. . This problem may be true however it is driven by the consumer’s continual interest in buying cheaper and cheaper products. The farmers way of life has been revolutionized. Modern farmers think faster, cheaper, bigger. It’s really not until when consumers demand quality over cost will there be changes in the food industry. I believe that the “toxic” food environment is a byproduct of the iron triangle that exists within our government and key actors from the food industry, food science, and the media. An iron triangle is a closed, mutually supportive relationship that exists between government agencies, special interest groups, and legislative committees with jurisdiction over an area of government policy. In other words, the government issues guidelines on how Americans should eat, the food industry creates products to meet the need of Americans’ innate taste for sweet, sour, bitter, and salty and the media reports on new food products based upon how well the product fits into a healthy diet. The Iron Triangle relationship in the food industry as it relates to Food Inc. would be the Monsanto Company. It is a publicly traded American multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is a leading producer of genetically engineered herbicide glyphosate, under the round up brand.
Monsanto was a pioneer in applying the biotechnology industry business model to agriculture. Agriculture, in other words, agribusiness (the food industry) is an interest group that seeks to
References: Gordon Adams. The Iron Triangle: The Politics of Defense Contracting, Council on Economic Priorities, New York, 1981. Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food Is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer—And What You Can Do About It. Karl Weber, ed. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009 "Web Site Takes on 'Food Inc '." Pork Magazine. June 12, 2009; Levin, Ann. " 'Food Inc. ' Has Sickening View of Food Industry." Associated Press. June 21, 2009.