Analysis of Food Inc.

• Most people have no idea where their food comes from – food industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what you are eating because if you did you might not eat it

He probes them to learn the what, where, and how of dinner – knowing what is going into the body, knowing where that food came from, and knowing how that food was made. By first knowing what is being consumed, people can make better informed decisions about their purchases. Nutrition, or lack thereof, is a key component in the battle against obesity. Food giants are hoping to hide the often unnecessary filler present in their products by use of dodgy claims and socially engineered advertisements. In general, most consumers probably couldn’t say where their food came from. This usually boils down to the fact that shoppers typically don’t think about it. Breaking this reliance on mass-grown foods is the second part of Pollan’s proposition. The third and equally important element is how the food is produced. More specifically, Pollan is concerned whether or not the food has been produced in a sustainable manner. Preserving the biodiversity of food, maintaining fertile land for future generations, and ensuring consumers receive food that does not compromise health are all factors of sustainability. Without informed consumers, what, where, and how will continue to be unanswered questions. Whether it is for nutritional or ethical choices, a particular food’s history is something that needs to once again become common

This gap has lead people to become “passive consumers” that are ignorant towards the origin of their food, how it is produced, and their role in the modern food industry. Berry argues that the pleasure of eating cannot be known without understanding that eating is involved in the agricultural process. He urges people to look into where and how their food is produced and under what conditions. He asserts that food is now a product of industry meaning the food industry no longer cares about the quality of food and how healthy it is, but how much can be produced at a small price. Berry then gives seven suggestions that can help people eat responsibly and understand the pleasures of eating. By being active in our world and in how we eat, people can eat with the fullest pleasure by being connected with the world around them and eating with understanding and gratitude

In the article “The Pleasure of Eating”, Wendell Berry expresses his idea that in order for consumers to truly appreciate the food on their plates, they should know its origin and how it is produced. Berry was inspired by his realization that nowadays food productions are becoming more and more industrialized, and the consumers themselves are slowly transforming into industrial eaters. He states that there is a barrier between the people and the reality behind food production because people can purchase already packaged food at anywhere and anytime. This makes them ignorant to the hardship and the cruel conditions it went under to get on the shelves. He also criticizes the food industry, as it manipulates people to regard eating as a way of survival and not one of the many pleasures in life. Berry successfully appeals to pathos in order to further convince his urban consumers that eating is an act of pleasure. Therefore, people should take more into consideration on what they are eating and how it will affect them in the long run.

Everybody loves food, everybody has to eat. Unfortunately not all food is safe for us to consume, even though it may appear to be safe. There are over 200 known microbial, chemical or physical agents that can cause illness when ingested(Acheson, 1999). There has to be regulations to keep the US and EU citizens healthy and protected from these harmful agents in our food. In the United States, this is where the FDA(Food and Drug Administration) the CDC(Centers for Disease Control) and the USDA(United States Department of Agriculture) step in. The FDA controls food and drug regulations, the CDC helps identify pathogen and diseases and the USDA deals with meat and poultry regulations. In the European Union(EU) a close FDA

In the documentary Food Inc. declares that most americans have no idea where their food comes from because the food industries does not inform the people on how they process their food to make it look as appetising. Chicken farm owners that work for Tyson are required to follow the rules of Tyson because if any Tyson employee’s, break any type of rules they are required to follow they will be fired or being threatened with getting fired. For example, Tyson requires that if they let anyone video record inside the chicken houses they would be fired because chickens are trapped in a tent, and the chickens are standing in their own feces. These chickens are so big that can only walk up to 3 steps, and then sit back down.

There is an idiom in China that says “People make food their Heaven”, which means everyone needs food to survive but also means people take comfort and pride in their food in many ways. However, nowadays, the position of food changes, and it seems not as important as before. Food production has become industrialized and plants have been grown with more problems. Most people didn’t realize this and they continued this process. Then, problems appeared like flooding. However, there are still some people feel the significance of the problems. Mark Bittman, bestselling cookbook author, journalist and television personality, gave a speech “What’s wrong with what we eat” to reveal why we are

The documentary ‘’Food Inc’’ gives a look into how the food system in America is run. Eric Schlosser a person in the documentary describes the American food system as ‘’ the world deliberately hidden from us.’’ As I watched the documentary called ‘’Food Inc’’ that statement became more and more apparent to me. Big name companies are constantly trying to hide to the consumers on the unruly truth about what we are putting into our food on a daily basis. The companies hide how the animals are not only treated but how they get to our plates. The companies also exaggerate the health level in which we retrieve the food. The American food system is ‘’the world deliberately hidden from us.’’

Michael Pollan in 2006, published a work that has to some degree changed the way that people eat, or at the very least attempted to change the way that we think about the food we eat. (Shea 54) Pollan demonstrates through fundamentally modern rhetoric the relationship that people, and more specifically American’s have with food and how very distant we are from it. ("History, Old Favorites in" B08) To some degree Pollan, others like him and internationally challenging food shortages and even worse food born illnesses and scares are changing the way that food is understood with regard to an international and national food traceability and accountability movement. (Popper 365) Pollan challenges the “industrial food chain” looking at

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are an animal factory farm with an enormous number of animals that are contained in a confined area. These CAFOs feed their livestock corn, solely because it is cheap and makes them fat quickly. The high corn diet fed to cows result in more harmful E. Coli that are acid-resistant. Also, cows stand ankle deep in manure all day long with minimal room for movement. This increases the risk of contaminated products during the process of slaughtering and packing the meat. With the lessening of inspections from the FDA from 50,000 in 1972 to 9,164 in 2006 this puts society at a greater risk of consuming contaminated food. In the case of a recall, an immense number of products have to be brought back due to the mass production and the proximity of the animals in which the product was made. As the film illustrates, once this happens it is already too late for some. Children and elderly are put at an increased risk of death from illnesses due to E. Coli

After a little playground fun, you cruise over to McDonald's for lunch. You order a happy meal and joyfully watch him consume in happiness. Unfortunately, that burger was contaminated with E. Coli. The damage has already been done, sadly killing him in a matter of days. Such an event was displayed by Food Inc, a woman losing her 2 year old son in 12 days after consuming a hamburger. Diseases such as E. Coli are all a consequence of animals being kept in horrendous conditions. Considering there are only 13 slaughterhouses in the U.S. (Food Inc, 2009), contaminated meat mixing in with “healthy” beef, increases the chance of disease. Subsequently, due to the atrocious living habitat, factory animals walk on their excrement daily. If an animal is contaminated, disease will undoubtedly spread within the quarters. Another example of how diseases arise is corn, continually mentioned in the film. Scientists stated that 90% of the food products contain corn or a soybean ingredient (Food Inc, 2009). To merely rephrase, there isn't much variation with the foods we eat! Exhibited were numerous factory farms force feeding animals corn. When feeding corn to factory animals, it has the potential to evolve. Hence evident metamorphosis takes place, generating high risk. Even more so, a majority of companies drench meat with ammonia hydroxide (leads to food poisoning) to kill bacteria (Food Inc, 2009). Surely that

coli, another undisclosed truth comes to light in this documentary. To get rid of the E. coli, our meat products are thoroughly cleansed with ammonia. Ammonia is a chemical that most Americans recognize as a household cleaning item, and now this chemical is in our meat. We are being secretly exposed to this chemical and it is not even guaranteed to work 100% of the time. However, this is not the only chemical used in our food. When eating an out of season fruit, Americans run the risk of eating a fruit that is artificially ripened. Since tomatoes cannot grow in America in the winter, they are picked while green from overseas. Once they arrive in America and are ready to go to market, they are ripened with ethylene gas. Ethylene gas “contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus hydride” (Siddiqui). These traces can cause chronic health defects such as “vomiting, diarrhea with or without blood, burning sensation of the chest and abdomen, thirst, weakness, permanent eye damage, etc.” (Siddiqui). As we can see, the major food companies hide very serious issues from the public, because if they knew the truth, many consumers would be appalled and possibly stop buying their products.

Corn is the number one grain used to feed animals for slaughter. Feeding cows corn instead of their natural diet lead to the unintentional creation of 157H7 E. coli, a deadly bacteria that can kill. The film reveals how food standards have dropped, with only 9,164 safety inspections from the FDA each year as compared to over 50,000 in 1972. The food industry has become consolidated to the point of a few companies having a great deal of power and influence via the government. The USDA is no longer able to shutdown plants with contaminated meat. A bill titled “Kevin’s Law” had the intent of changing that, but, after 6 years, the bill still has not been passed. Food companies have made some attempts to reduce E. coli by cleaning their meats in an ammonia solution. However, unhealthy food is being subsidized and contributing to American obesity and the rise of type 2 diabetes in adolescents.

Summary: Because of food borne pathogens, 5,000 people die yearly and some 76 million are ill. Meat contamination has changed the nations confidence in the food safety system and questioned if the government should scale up regulations. Consumers advocates says the government need to increase inspections of both domestics and imported products and sanction facilities that repeatedly fails. But officials say increased regulations may put plants out of business without increasing food supply. A last minute hitch, however has left fate of that bipartisan legislation uncertain, despite support form unusual alliance of industry and consumer advocates. Scientists can now genetically modify fruits and vegetables as well as livestock and other food

Most of us, when presented with a foreign meal usually ask the question “well, what’s in it?” Underlying this question is the notion integrated into all of us that we have a right to know. Now, we are not always talking about legal rights when we ask. Most times, we simply think the other person has a moral obligation to tell us. Inarguably, human life is fickle. Physically, we are one of the weakest beings on this Earth. Hence, this question, simple as it may seem, is crucial in ensuring our survival. Today, we face the simultaneous challenges of a growing food shortage and food waste problem. Considering the nature, characteristics, and source of these problems, it appears that a deontological perspective can best remedy the situation