Fed Up: Movie Analysis

Food Inc, produced by Robert Kenner is a documentary designed to expose big industry for corrupting our food system in order to sway the audience into supporting organics and small business. Throughout the film Keener effectively convinces his audience that large companies have indeed corrupted our food system by showing the viewer their role in the obesity epidemic along with exposing their mistreatment of animals and workers through the use of logos, pathos, and ethos rhetoric.

The film also calls on data to show that more than half the population faces the obesity threat. TRANSITION. In addition, the illustration of how sugar is used in food products is part of the backbone of the film. Fed Up gave specific instances and techniques of how these companies use diet, low-calorie, and low-fat food options to expand their product count while keeping the same amount of sugar in the products. Debunking the myth of what makes us gain weight, the documentary uses examples such as eating a handful of almonds versus drinking a coke. Fed Up uses advertising of food companies to show how they perpetuate the thought that their food will not cause weight gain, saying things like, 'every calorie is equal, so go ahead and have a coke.' Fed Up points out that the sugar in the coke is different than the sugar in the

In “Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss is about the rising numbers of obesity in both adults and children throughout the United States. On the Evening of April 8, 1999, some of the biggest food industries CEO’s ad company presidents come together for a rare, private meeting. Discussing the emerging obesity epidemic and how they should deal with it. Big time companies food is lacking the nutrients that a person needs and is more concentrated on how to make it more desired. Keeping the customers coming for more. While the industries are gaining a profit, the customers are gaining a big belly.

The issue of obesity in America is one that has been debated heavily over the years as health professionals advise people to count caloric intake and exercise, in order to maintain optimal weight. The documentary by Stephanie Soechtig named “Fed Up” contradicts these sentiments and gets to the root of the obesity issue in America. Although the documentary focuses on the the amount of sugar and unhealthy substances that are added into our food without the public’s discretion, the documentary reveals something so much larger about America’s industries and government as a whole.

Although this movie has both persuasive pros as well as large flaws, I feel that the overall idea that there was/is a desperate need for reform in all aspects of the food industry was successfully conveyed, and, at least in my opinion, is also an easy thesis to agree

Coke or Pepsi? Diet or regular? These are questions that many of us hear on a regular basis when making choices about what we want to drink. But if a new law has its way this variety of drink choice could be no more, which is largely because soda and sugary beverages are contributing to the staggering increase in obesity rates in recent years in the United States. Obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat that is usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight for their specific height, age and gender (Free Medical Dictionary 2007). Body weight and obesity risk are a result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture and socioeconomic status, wherein behavior and environment play two of the largest roles (University of Drexel 2015). People make decisions based on their environment or community which influence their health decisions and due to this it is essential to create environments that make is easier for people to engage in physical activity and eat a healthy diet (University of Drexel 2015). This is a problem that is particularly persistent in low-income populations causing them to suffer higher rates of obesity and the adverse health consequences that follow as a result of these poor diets. This is due in large part to their poor economic state but also their environment because they are surrounded by people that are in similar situations and dealing

The first idea was that stress can increase health risks. In module 3, we discussed how stress increases susceptibility to illness, slows digestions, alters endocrine system, and causes molecular changes in chromosomes. Towards the end of the movie, Michael Pollan says that thinking about what you should and should not eat causes stress and that the stress is more harmful to our bodies than the type of foods we eat. The second point that I recognized as being addressed in class was the concept of the food industry exploiting us in order to obtain more money. Michael Pollan discusses the concept of nutritionism, the ideology of food being comprised of nutrients. Nutritionism divides its world along black-and-white lines: good nutrients and bad nutrients. However, Pollan states, there is ongoing debate about which nutrients go in which categories, a phenomena that the food industry benefits from. Whether it is low protein breakfasts in the form of cereal to no fat or high fiber, the food industry always makes sure to put food on our grocery shelves with “no fat” or “rich in fiber” labels to grab the consumers attention and get more money from us, when in fact the food may not even be good for us. This is a similar concept to what we learnt in class in module 4. When I went on my grocery scavenger hunt, I noticed how the grocery store was set up to make the consumer spend more. One thing I noticed that extremely bothered me were that staples were located at the back of the store which forces you to go down aisles, increasing the chance the consumer will buy more. The food industry does not care about consumers but money and will do whatever they need to in order to get their money. The third idea, we learnt about in class that I noticed in the movie was the idea that environmental factors affect how we eat and live. In module 5, we discussed how modern

The documentary “Fed Up” provides some important and disturbing details of the food industry. The 1977 heart disease and diet study known as the McGovern Report warned that the obesity rate was increasing rapidly due to American diets in fatty meats, saturated fats, cholesterol, and sugar. The food industry vehemently denied these claims, but the American people still demanded lower fat food products. The food manufacturers found that the fat removal made the food bland and unpalatable so to address this they replaced the fat content with sugar. Both the documentary and the Harvard Nutrition Source discuss the role sugar has in health conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. They both link the consumption of sugar as the causality for

Stephani Soechting’s film, Fed up gives a look at how obesity became a problem over time, a serious problem. Throughout the movie as it goes deeper in on the food industries, the facts clearly show that they are the cause of the obesity epidemic. The film also focuses on children who have become overweight. According to Katie Couric, “many people think that kids are overweight for two reasons: a lack of exercise and increased appetites.” (Fed Up). Soechting’s film, it tackles the producers main claim and that is corrupt food making industries and reveals the truth behind the overweight and obesity epidemic of our nation’s children and the food industry is the cause of it.

The basic survival needs of human beings include a small list of four things: food, water, clothing, and shelter. After watching an interview with Robert Kenner, the director of Food, Inc., I began to realize that the food humans are eating is actually decreasing are survivability. Within the excerpts from the movie and the dialogue amongst the interviewers, it was made apparent that the food industry has been able to completely deceive the consumers. Instead of choosing food for quality, individuals choose food by lowest price. As Kenner said in the video, “we have skewed our food system to the bad calories” (2:38). Instead of healthy home cooked meals, families are purchasing fast food for its convenience and low cost. However, the video made a very interesting stance in regards to this mentality. Although individuals are paying the lowest price for food in history, the cost of treating diseases caused by unhealthy eating has grown to be higher than ever before (8:04).

Spurlock’s appeal to logos shows the audience the severity of obesity with fact based information from doctors and professionals, research studies, and shows the counter arguments being made. With his film, Spurlock hopes to inspire change among people who eat fast food, the fast food companies who manipulate their customers, and create a healthier country with less preventable

Fed Up is a documentary that highlights the government's role in the obesity epidemic. The beginning of the film informs viewers of how they can make healthier food choices - That lots what we think we know about healthy eating isn't necessarily true. Then the focus shifts, and begins to criticize government’s role in the epidemic. Fed Up shows multiple circumstances where big food companies are hypocritical and have self-serving interests. Such companies attempt control purchases by the public via ad campaigns, marketing to children, and false or biased studies. In other words, propaganda. The documentary depicts big food companies using the propagandistic device card stacking to ultimately deceive and manipulate consumers.

Watching Food Inc. movie was a deception and a horrifying experience on what is happening in the food industry in the U.S. After spending time on some of resources like The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on food safety, The National Food Processors’ Association that are in place to protect farmer’s industry and food consumers, to find out these agencies like are not protecting farmers nor are protecting food consumers in the U.S; and to learn about big corporations like Tyson Foods, Monsanto that are controlling food industry are putting profit ahead of consumer health, the lives of American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. The examples failures of U.S. laws including granting patent right of seed to Monsanto,

It is no secret that one of America’s biggest health concerns is obesity. Sugar has been linked as one of the greatest causes of obesity. The amount of daily sugar intake has increased over the past years and with it so has it’s health risks. The food industry is now adding additional sugar to their products. Many of the big named companies are great contributors to the obesity rate in the United States. Those with the greatest impact are soda companies. These sugary drinks are a major contributor to this epidemic. Sadly, many people are unaware of the consequences that excessive sugar can cause. Therefore, soda companies should add to the beverages that contain

Food Inc. is a very informative and eye-opening film. The intended audience are those who eat unhealthily in America and all around the world. The film is based in America and it displays what companies put in their food before it goes in our mouths. It uses actual examples to display this, like a boy who died from E-Coli from a burger. The main message that the authors Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan are trying to portray is that we should think before we put something into our mouths about how that food has been treated prior to this.