Fast Food To All Analysis

David Kenner’s Food, Inc. reveals the dark, corporate underside of America’s food industry that nobody seems to be talking about. The documentary opens with the image of the quintessential American farm, deemed the “pastoral fantasy.” Using a voiceover the narrator takes us to various aisles in the super market, explaining how the food industry has revolutionized over the years (boneless meat, assembly lines, food items no longer being seasonal) but more importantly introduces the costs of this transformed food industry. The remainder of the film is broken up into chapters that hone in on the various costs and consequences of America’s food industry.
The opening chapter, “Fast Food to All” examines the rise of fast food and the subsequent rise
of mass production. It is describes how the fast food industry adopted the assembly line model in order to produce a fast, a low-cost food option. However, this efficiency comes at a cost to not only the healthiness of the food, but also the welfare of the animals and workers. As a symptom of this shift in our food paradigm, America’s food industry has become increasingly corporate-controlled and the factory model of food production has expanded beyond just fast food.
The second chapter “A Cornucopia of Choices” details the surprising ubiquity of commodity crops such as corn in the supermarket and beyond. Additionally, the chapter touches on the government’s role in these commodity crops and farm policy and segues into issues of sanitation to be picked up in the third chapter, “Unintended Consequences.” The various outbreaks and recalls that come with our factorial food industry are examined and the audience is given a shocking view of the unsanitary conditions in America’s food plants. Additionally, a woman’s story of her son dying and the government refusing to pass legislature both personalizes the issue and demonstrates that there is something wrong with this system at a fundamental level.
“Dollar Menu” further personalizes the issue, following a poor family unable to afford healthy options and the health consequences that ensue.
Because they can literally only afford fast food, they get stuck in a cycle of health issues and hospital bills. In this way, the film demonstrates how our corporate-run food industry takes advantage of the poor.
“In The Grass” offers an alternative to our current system, as it features a small-town farmer who refuses to switch his humane slaughterhouse to the factory model. The FDA ironically attempts to shut down his plant because it is outdoors. The documentary juxtaposes this to the largest slaughterhouse in the world, Smithfield, which happens to be in an economically depressed area. Infections run rampant in both the food and workers here, however the workers (many illegal immigrants) cannot afford to stop working there. It is further demonstrated how the industry takes advantage of these people, without reprimand.
“Hidden Ghosts” and “The Veil” vilify large companies such as Walmart and Monsanto and document their surprising hold on our food industry. Because corporations have such a large role it is difficult to promote change and outbid wealthy companies that spend millions in a lawsuit just to send a
message.
The documentary ends on a positive note, offering simples ways we can begin to help change the system, such as buying locally and complaining to our representatives. In conclusion, while the situation of our food industry is dire, it is not hopeless.