Food Inc Rhetorical Analysis

Eating food produced within a hundred-mile radius has never been a prominent concern historically, though there has been a recent increase in this trend. Those that are rigorously set on this new ideology are being labeled “locavores”. Christophe Pelletier, being a proficient individual on the topic of food production had an educated opinion on the locavore’s predicted way of life. Pelletier’s, “The Locavore’s Dilemma”, provides multiple examples to support his belief that informing every resident of the carbon footprint their food contains would realistically carryout the locavore’s ideology to a more viable agriculture. His blog post on this ideology goes into depth about the physical and economical destruction they would provoke. This would include: the possibility of famine, lack of needed nutritional supplements,

In Slaughterhouse Blues, anthropologist Donald Stull and social geographer Michael Broadway explore the advent, history, and implications of modern food production. The industrialized system behind what we eat is one of the most controversial points of political interest in our society today. Progressions in productive, logistical, retail, and even biological technologies have made mass produced foods more available and more affordable than ever before. This being said, the vague mass production of ever-available cheap “food” carries with it several hidden

‘Food Inc’, is an informative, albeit slightly biased, documentary that attempts to expose the commercialisation and monopolisation of the greater food industry. The film attempts to show the unintended consequences resulting from this, and for the most part this technique is very effective; however there is an overreliance on pathos in lieu of facts and statistics at times.

I learned that the food production has changed over the past years. Some of the food that we consume contain GMO's ( Genetically Modified Organisms) which are living organisms that make our food bigger. Which isn't good for our health, it is extremely dangerous. For example, in the movie they introduced a little boy who was so young that he passed away from food poisoning. It all started with him eating a hamburger, and that hamburger contained some chemicals that made the little boy sick. The food industry doesn't want us to know the truth about what we are consuming because if we did, we probably wouldn't consume it. A food scientist in the movie said he would guess that 90% of the processed food products in the grocery store contain either

Have you ever been in a rush, low on cash, and looking for something to eat so you didn’t really have a choice but to grab a burger with fries at your local fast food place? Have you ever paused or stopped to think about where the burger really came from, or the process that went in to be made? The Food Inc documentary investigates and exposes the American industrial production of meat, grains, and vegetables. Robert Kenner the producer of the film makes allegations in this film and he explores how food industries are deliberately hiding how and where it is our food is coming from. He emphasizes that we should find out where our food comes from and why is it that the food industry does not want us to know. Food Inc. does not only uses compelling images, such as hundreds of baby chickens being raised in spaces where they do not see an inch of sunlight, it also includes the speeches and stories of farmers, families, government officials, and victims of the food industry. The four current problems facing today’s food industry are the reformed usage of the false advertisement within the labeling of products , mistreatment of farmed animals, and the harmful chemical in our meats. The documentary Food Inc uses very persuasive tactics that demonstrates strong elements of pathos, ethos, and logos make an effective appeal, while uncovering the dark side of the food industry.

In the past 15 to 20 years, eating locally grown, organic, and non-genetically modified (GMO) foods has become a major movement in the United States. While some have embraced the local farmer’s markets and imperfect fruits and vegetables, others have written it off as a pointless movement that fixes very little. Author Robert Paarlberg sides with the latter, and his essay Attention Whole Foods Shoppers is critical of the organic food movement and contends that world hunger should be the focus of the West and the food industry. Attention Whole Foods Shoppers by Robert Paarlberg has some positive aspects but ultimately fails to present readers with a detailed solution to the world hunger epidemic.

    Should the thought of catching the virus E. coli make Jimmy jump for joy? No it shouldn’t, which is why we should all pay more attention to our meat industry. Robert Kenner analyzes the food industry, and all of its components. Kenner shows the nation where our food comes from, and how it is produced.

Though the mass production and distribution of food is already bad the company’s do not stop there they label erroneous advertisements on the packaging of food. The labels that read “all natural” or “farm grown are completely misleading and false advertisement. Apart from these issues, the documentary also highlights the harmful effects of modifying the animals’ diet both on everyone’s health and the environment. They go on about the story of Barbara Kowalcyk. She talks about her activism concerning food safety and how the death of her 2-year old son from E-coli encouraged her to stand up against the US Congress to pass a legislation for stricter and more effective USDA food regulations. That part of the documentary gave me an insight of the

“The Cato Institute’s” Policy analyst, Radley Balko, in his article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” talks about the idea of obesity and whose fault it is. Balko’s purpose is to convey the idea that obesity is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s or anyone else’s for that matter. Ultimately, Balko’s “What You Eat Is Your Business” has a strong hold on ethos, pathos, and logos, making for a successful and persuasive article.

Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto is an eye-opening analysis of the American food industry and the fear driven relationship many of us have with food. He talks in depth about all the little scientific studies, misconceptions and confusions that have gathered over the past fifty years. In the end provide us with a piece of advice that should be obvious but somehow is not, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." He follows the history of nutritionism and the industrialization of food, in hopes to answer one question….. how and when "mom" ceded control of our food choices to nutritionists, food marketers and the government.

Wendell Berry first introduces the term industrial eater as “one who does not know that eating is an agricultural act, who no longer knows or imagines the connections between eating and the land, who is therefore necessarily passive and uncritical – in short, a victim” (6). This definition in multiple ways needs revising; it should reflect the changing culture of America. Industrial eaters enjoy processed foods because when we crave them we are craving an essential vitamin from a natural whole food. Processed foods are cheaper and more readily available, which contributes to the culture of the industrial eater. Nearly all foods today are modified or processed in some way from their natural state, which only enforces the point that we live in an increasingly processed society that produces industrial eaters like it processes doughnuts on an assembly line: rapidly and with little to no individuality (in reference to their consumption of food.)

This rhetorical analysis is over the effects of fast food and the health of the person eating it. “Eat fast, die young” is the motto of the second spoof ad. The reality is that this spoof ad is accurate. Studies over the past 30 to 50 years show that fast food and junk food is extremely unhealthy and causes obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and several other diseases. Most fast food restaurants serve high caloric and low-density foods. That means one get a lot of calories and very little nutrition value from the food. Obesity rates have steadily climbed over the past 60 years as have the number of fast food restaurants. “The prevalence of obesity and obesity related diseases has increased rapidly in the U.S. since the mid-1970s. At the same time, the number of fast food restaurants more than doubled over the same time period, while the number of other restaurants grew at a much slower pace.” (Currie Vigna Moretti Pathania 1) Saying the fact that when one eats substantial amounts of fast food, the health of that person will drastically decrease is definitely true.

The documentary “Fresh” gives an inside look at some of the solutions and alternatives to the American food industry. It also shows more brief situations in which big farms practice unsanitary and

In addition to his solutions, Pollan’s modern narrative sheds light on the façade of our food industries; asking us to rethink what we know. Despite the mention of certain inhumane acts in All Animals are Equal, Pollan takes us one step further to uncover the reason for which we continue to purchase our corrupt food. We all know animal abuse exists, but the average consumer like myself is more worried about the best price and the fastest way to get a burger rather than how fairly the animals are treated in the process. Whether it be the confined living space of chickens or the mental and physical torture of pigs, we continue to blind ourselves from reality. Is it purely out of selfishness? Or are we too ignorant to come to terms with our wrong doings? Like Pollan explains, it takes seeing the abuse before the shame of our disrespect can be felt (pg.6). After seeing Pollan’s truth, I might now think twice before eating out and the choice to support organic produce can make a dramatic difference for those farmers who promote the ethical lifestyle.

“The way we eat has changed more in the last fifty years than in the past ten thousand.” (Food, Inc.) Farming first emerged as a large-scale industry during the Industrial Revolution. The transition from small, local farms to larger, corporate-owned businesses began when machines were more readily available and much more efficient. However, another factor in the creation of the current industrial food system, including factory farming, is the advent of fast food, beginning in the 1930s. Food had to be uniform and cheap for both the company and the consumers (Food, Inc.). Another contributing factor is increased demand for animal products,