Let Them Eat Junk: The Documentary Food Inc.

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Let Them Eat Junk!
The Ethical Dilemma of the Dollar Menu

"When you only have a dollar to spend and you have two kids to feed, either you go to the market and try to find something that's cheap or just go straight through a drive-thru and get two small hamburgers for them and 'okay, here. Eat them.' This is what's gonna fill her up, not that one single item at the market." ( Food Inc., Kenner, 2008)

Families around the United States go through this dilemma on a daily basis. Fast food and junk food are everywhere. You can't drive almost any city block without passing a fast food restaurant or a gas station convenience store proudly advertising their dollar and value menus or two for one specials. The 2008 documentary, Food Inc, examines this dilemma and looks at how we, as a people, have got to this point.

The film specifically looks at the issue of the issue of government subsidies and how they lead to unhealthy food becoming cheaper and cheaper, so much so that it seems nearly impossible for the average family to consume a healthy diet. In an article written for the New York Times, Michael Pollan describes how the typical farming system used to work. Essentially, the government looked at crops that could be stored, like corn, and set a "target" price for that crop. If and when the price fell below that target, the farmer could either sell below the target price or take out what was known as a "nonrecourse loan". These loans allowed the farmer to use the crop as collateral and receive the full market value for his crop with the understanding that the farmer would then store the crop until market conditions improved. Then the farmer would sell the crop and repay the loan. (Pollan, 2003) This method seemed to be effec...

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...nic_care/Hendrickson.pdf

Kenner, R. (Director). (2009). Food Inc.[Documentary]. USA: Magnolia Pictures.

Parker-pope, T. (2008, November 3). Money Is Tight, and Junk Food Beckons.The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/health/nutrition/04well.html?_r=0

Pollan, M. (n.d.). The (Agri)Cultural Contradictions of Obesity .Discharges.org. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from http://www.discharges.org/s/The%20Agri-Cultural%20Contradictions%20of%20Obesi

Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity « Food Research & Action Center. (n.d.). Food Research Action Center Why LowIncome and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity Comments. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/why-are-low-income-and-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-to-obesity/

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