Film Analysis: Food Inc

Food Inc. Not many people know or care where their food comes from, which is why the directors of Food Inc. set out to expose the truth behind the food industry in America. The directors were able to lift the corporate veil of the major food corporations; exposing to the world the brutal truths behind how they run their businesses, cutting corners and tainting our food supply so that they are as efficient and profitable as possible. The first segment which compares the chicken farmers Vince Edwards and Carole Morison, who are both on contract with major companies, shows the audience that how we perceive the modern day farmers is actually very different from the harsh reality of what they do. The segment “In the Grass” then directly contrasts
weren’t about to let Tyson’s representatives stop them from exposing the brutal truths behind the food corporations and getting a look inside one of these coops. So, after visiting 11 different farmers, they finally met up with a farmer who was willing to give them what they wanted. This is where the segment takes a dramatic turn towards reality. Instead of playing happy music, showing nice scenery and a farmer who is trying to protect his contract, the directors bring the audience to the run down farm of Purdue chicken farmer Carole Morison. Carole was told not to allow the directors access into her coops but she is so fed up with corporations and how they conduct their business that she feels something needs to be done and that people should know the truth about their food. The living conditions of these chickens inside the coop are absolutely terrible; there is dust, feces, and dead chickens on the ground. This is not the sort of place consumers what their food coming from. She even admits that “this is not farming; this is mass production like an assembly line in a factory.” Carole has come to realize that what they are producing in these coops are no longer the all natural, free range, nutritiously wholesome chickens that people should be eating. The genetic modification of these chickens is inhumane to the point that the chickens can’t even walk because the hormones make grow bigger and faster then their bone structure can handle. The
Polyface Farms is completely different from all the other farms shown in this documentary in the sense that it is actually a farm and not a factory. The beautiful views of this farm consist of big fields of crops and large grassy pastures with chicken, pork, and cattle roaming and grazing freely. It is evident that this is the way farming should be and yet it is the direct opposite of how the large corporations are going about it. There are no hormones, chemicals, antibiotics or anything un-natural present on Joel’s farm, everything is naturally raised out in the fresh air of the pastures and pens eating what nature intended for them. There is no use for masks and walls around Joel’s farm because he has nothing to hide and there is nothing in his farming process he needs to protect himself from. This segment shows how true farming should be; the directors use Joel in order to prove to the audience that there is still nutritious food out there, and where to find it. As both a viewer and a consumer, it is refreshing to see that there are still farmers like Joel who have managed to keep their integrity by not cutting any of the corners the major food companies have and still produce food humanely and naturally. By buying products produced by farmers like Joel we are not only eating