Film Summary And Film Analysis: Food Inc.

In the modern world, customers and consumers intake a variety of foods; but primarily, foods from the fast food production industry. Under the images of farmers, ranchers, and animals on certain food products, there’re actually assembly lines in factories supervising the distribution of the food we eat today. The film Food Inc. directed by Robert Kenner takes its audience to the examination and inspection of the industrial production of meat in the United States, and revealed its hidden truth, emphasizing on the harm it has on the environment, animals, and the human population, which is crucially important and vital to the development of our nation. Back then in the 20th century, Upton Sinclair wrote about the errors and flaws in the meat packing

industry, and it still happens today.
Food Inc. first took its viewer to the introduction of the fast-food industry.

“But what I would like is a burger. My favorite meal today remains a hamburger and a French fries. I had no idea that a handful of companies had changed how we eat and how we make our food. I’ve been eating all these foods all my life without knowing where it comes from,” stated by an interviewee in the film (Kenner, Food Inc.). The statement mentioned previously demonstrate the paucity of knowledge many consumers have. The interviewee, in particular, described that he doesn’t know where and how his favorite meal, which consists of a hamburger and fries, was created and distributed. Furthermore, the documentary-film also presents its audiences another interviewee, with similar aspects of the previous one mentioned above. However, this interviewee gave the viewers another aspect of the

fast-food story. According to the movie, he unfortunately has Type II diabetes, in addition to poverty. “My husband is diabetic. One of my main concern is he can lose his sight…I’m afraid he’s not going to be able to drive, cause that’s what he does for a profession. We’re really tight for paying for his medicine to be healthy or buying vegetables to be healthy,” the interviewee’s spouse described (Kenner, Food Inc.). This shows the idea that poverty can heavily and crucially influence eating habits of certain individuals. The family often rely on the dollar menu at a fast-food restaurant, primarily because of poverty, employment hours, and unfortunately, medical issues. Therefore, not only people who likes to eat fast food eat them, but also those with low-incomes that have no choice.
Regrettably, the consumption of meats may ultimately lead to the loss of lives among the American people. The film presented Barbara Kowalcyk and Patricia Buck, in which both of them are food safety advocates. Mrs. Kowalcyk described her son’s death, which was caused by his digestion of food, which later inspired her and her mother, Mrs. Buck, to become food safety advocates, aforesaid. “We ended up eating three hamburgers before he got sick. We started to see blood in Kevin [Kowalcyk’s son]’s diarrhea. We took him to the emergency room….He has E. coli. They [medical team] informed us that Kevin’s kidney was starting to fail. Kevin received his first dialysis treatment, and he was not allowed to drink water,” mentioned Barbara Kowalcyk (Kenner, Food Inc.). The story of Kowalcyk’s son momentously emphasizes the dangers caused by the meat industry. According to the film, meats occasionally contains E Coli. as they were commonly found in the factories. When one animal is infected, the bacteria can easily be transmitted to other animals in the same ranch. This bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea, severe stomachache, and vomiting. Unfortunately, if the infection does not get resolved in a certain amount of time, there’s a high risk of getting kidney failure, which can eventually lead to death; similar to what happened in Kevin’s case. Based on available evidence, it seems fair to undoubtedly suggest that the food industry, particularly meat, requires critical and intense improvement; thus, other cases like Kevin’s can be prevented in the future.
Additionally, the food industry unknowingly put the population’s health on serious jeopardy.

Rosa Soto, whose working for the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, mentioned, “There is something going on, in the way we live our lives, where we are playing, where we buy our foods, and the type of foods we’re able to buy, is causing an epidemic, and it’s not just our community, it’s not just Baldwin Park; it’s everywhere…. It usually the Type II diabetes that only affects adults, and now it’s affecting children,” (Kenner, Food Inc.). The statement presents the idea that the commonly eaten foods are negatively affecting the lives of children, whom are the future of our nation. Unexpectedly, Ms. Soto stated how Type II diabetes are developing in children, primarily because their eating habits. It is vital to note the fact that mass production of food, often leads to the lack of safety and quality of foods produced; therefore, are unhealthy for

children.
In conclusion, there is evidently a paucity of safety in the industrial production of meat in the United States; thus, many examination and investigation conducted in the film Food Inc. is extremely significant and vital to take note of, mainly because it gave the American people another aspect of the food they eat. Nowadays, students from Bard High School Early College Queens often rely on fast food restaurants, which include McDonalds, Wendy’s, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, and many more, without realizing the danger behind the consumption of those meals. This film opens the opportunities to see the revealing aspects of the industry, which may inspire BHSEC students to change their lifestyles, and become healthier.