Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Prof. Mickelson
HLTH 1020
30 November 2018
Americans have found themselves in a dietary trend of eating more food of low
nutritional value. This has resulted in two thirds of the adult population being overweight or
obese, (Healthy Eating Patterns). Despite this, we tend to care little about where all this food is
coming from. Food Inc. is a documentary that helps its viewers gain an inside view of how their
food comes to be before it is magically in the grocery store. It begins by talking about how fast
food helped to create a factory system for food where the menu was simple, workers did a certain
task repeatedly, and it all revolved around flavor over sustenance. The need for food all over the
country to taste identical for big buyers, like McDonalds, brought a way of raising it that was
also identical. Standardized raising procedures were created and choice began to fade from the
hands of both the farmer and consumer. This resulted in a handful of companies supplying the
This documentary looks not only at what is in our food but how it’s produced. Food is no
longer something controlled by farmers and ranchers, but rather parent several companies. Every
decision from test tube, to seed, to field, to shelf is made by overarcing companies who only care
about the dollar amount that results. Kenner follows several farmers who show the results and a
real view into the works of food production that has been hidden from the consumers eyes for so
long. As buyers favored different flavors and food characteristics scientists adapted the genetic
code in these organisms to better suit these preferences. This resulted in unhealthy chickens that
were shown with large breasts to accommodate what the Washington Post described as our
“obsession with white meat,” (Ferdman). This did not come without consequence though as the
chickens could not walk more than a few steps and were keep in very close quarters to cut costs.
The financial promise of food alterations became the reason why bioengineers have
worked so hard to produce efficient crops of common plants like corn and soybeans. These
variations have become so successful that not only are they being included on store shelves, they
are dominating them. It has been calculated that, “Currently, up to 92% of U.S. corn is
genetically engineered (GE), as are 94% of soybeans and 94% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often
used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 75% of processed foods on
showed that the company who owns the patent for soybeans that are not harmed by Roundup so
that they can kill weeds easier without harming their fields is vicious about keeping it’s soybeans
for themselves. They will not allow farmers to use seeds created and will file heavy lawsuits if
they go against that agreement. This is done in order to keep money coming their way as
additional seeds need to be purchased each season to continue growing them. Strategies like this
I choose to watch this documentary because of my growing fascination with the affects
food truly does have on every aspect of our lives. People may notice connections between fatty
food and weight gain or vegetables and increased energy but what they may not notice are the
long term effects that come partially as a result to the food we eat. Dr. Edward Giovannucci of
the school of public health has confirmed that, “The connection between processed meat and
cancer is consistent...eating around 50 grams a day of processed meat (about 2 ounces) is
associated with about a 20% increase in colorectal cancer risk.” (Cancer and Diet). I work at a
cancer hospital so learning this really peaked my attention. This kind of processing of meat is
regularly done before it enters our homes and I wondered what other things were hidden in food
without the knowledge of the public. The documentary showed the the increase in E Coli cases
as a result of modern farming habits that track cow manure not only through the herds, but also
through the fields, water supplies, factories, and eventually the food we are eating. I would
assume that contaminated water supplies from this type of crossing caused the current outbreak
Robert Kenner is the documentarian responsible for creating Food Inc. He is by all means
a man who grabs at topics the public knows little about and makes his films to inform and
possibly even change the perspective of his audience. Due to his lack of nutritional background,
he counted on the experts of the field to provide the evidence rather than drawing all the
conclusions himself. This increased the logos aspect of persuasion he used to create a base for
his later points. His lack of nutritional background did not take away from the film as most of it
was narrated by authors like Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser who became well versing in the
business of nutrition through writing about nutrition related topics like the fast food epidemic.
Though this film was created ten years ago, it remains just as relevant if not more. We
have not completely cured our country of the issues brought up by it and need to continue
improving to help our citizen’s health. Thankfully, since it’s production we have improved on
some things. One major problem addressed was the widespread cases of foodborne illnesses
which, according to the CDC, have occurred less frequently. This is largely thanks to the Food
Modernization Act of 2011 which helps give the power to, “ regulate food facilities, establish
standards for safe produce, recall contaminated foods, oversee imported foods, and which
Illness). This combats the lack of inspections that occured as people in the food industry took
control of government seats and loosened regulations. This came thanks to many things
including documentaries like Food Inc. If we continue to watch frightening facts like are in it we
The main contrasting ideas between what was taught in the textbook and what Food Inc.
claimed reside largely in what we should eat in comparison to what we actually eat. Processed
foods carry with them extra chemicals, sodium, and sugars which have caused the average
American to consume more than their daily allowance of salts and sugars. Though they are they
to help with preservation and flavor, they do not do the body good as was taught in our textbook.
Some consequences could be increased blood pressure and increased BMI. The film however
showed that we are eating more and more processed foods due to its accessibility. It is also
important to increase the variety in the food we eat. We should not only ingest foods like
vegetables and fruits but also healthy fats like that in nuts, lean meat, low fat dairy, and whole
grains in order to cover all our needed micro and macro nutrients. However, as companies find
new ways of manipulating cheap materials like corn, they limit the variation in our diets. We are
eating so many refined grains that give us little nutrition instead of having more natural food that
has keep its nutrients. In our assignment called the $10 challenge we learned that though many
healthy foods do come at a higher cost, it is still possible to eat healthy at a low budget. A family
in the documentary did not agree. They had a low budget but claimed that it was more beneficial
for them to eat a cheap burger from a fast food joint than to buy ingredients at a grocery store.
The book showed us that the food coming from those restaurants are desirable for their taste not
for their nutrition. The family was struggling with being overweight and having type 2 diabetes
so they would benefit from sacrificing meal portions for food that is more nutritionally dense.
I knew next to nothing about where my food came from before watching this so I was
able to learn a lot! I finished watching the film right before I started my shift at work and
couldn’t stop talking about it all day. I ended up having a really good conversation about it with
two of my coworkers who are vegan and really enjoy documentaries so they had both seen it
before. The section on animal development changes and treatment especially made me question
my choices. I felt guilty that I had been a contributing factor to the cruel treatment of so many
animals without even realizing it. This has really inspired me to be more conscious about reading
the food label and learning about the origin before I eat something. I want to buy grass fed beef
and buy from more local farmers to oppose the heavy control meat companies have gained over
the industry and help support those who want to do what they think is best for the animal. This
made me have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the lifestyle my vegan coworker has
chosen to adopt. He told me that it wasn’t easy or a decision he made overnight. It took him
months of wrestling with himself over what was easy and what felt right before he was able to
completely change his habits. After learning these things I would like to be more conscientious
of not only what kind of food I put in my body but also how it was produced to help myself stay
www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/311/ge-foods/about-ge-foods.
“Cancer and Diet: What's the Connection?” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health Publishing,
Ferdman, Roberto A. “Look at What Our Obsession with White Meat Has Done to Chickens.”
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/12/our-insatiable-appetite-for-cheap-
white-meat-is-making-chickens-unrecognizable/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c47110711f
d9.
“Shifts Needed To Align With Healthy Eating Patterns.” Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture , 25
current-eating-patterns-in-the-united-states/.
“Trends in Foodborne Illness in the United States, 1996–2012.” CDC Fact Sheet, Center for