Food Inc. Homework

Chris R

                The film Food Inc is a combination of both books Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. From the beginning the film reveals more and more about the food industry that the average person does not know about what happens to their food. The main idea of the movie is the industry does not want you to know about the food you are eating because you might not want to eat it. The story takes a look into the ideas behind the place where food comes from. The way these animals are treated and all of the additives that go into food which aren’t know about. This big mass production industry is up against farmers who have a healthier way of choosing how to raise animals. Whereas industries are only focused on getting as much as possible in the quickest amount of times many farmers like to care for the animals they have and find alternatives to the additives packaged in fast food and foods in the supermarket. Even people are treated without respect in this industry. Many people are given the same mentality towards as the pigs are given. It’s all about efficiency of making as much food as possible instead of making the highest quality of food as possible.

                The book offers a overview of everything. This is something that the book does not offer. Each book Fast Food Nation and Omnivore’s Dilemma both talk about different things that are centered on the same idea. However the film gives a bit of insight into what both of the books are about. Each section of the movie also brings a conclusion and continues to tieback to the main idea. Also in Omnivore’s Dilemma Michael Pollan does quote some people who have statements that support his argument however seeing these people support him is something that the book doesn’t have. When the book tells you what someone says it is just words on paper but when you hear the person talk about what they think it creates a connection to that person as well and not just the author. Something that the book offers that does not show up in the movie is the part where Michael Pollan tries to become a hunter gatherer himself. This is something that he believes is important to how humans use to eat and going through this experience would be something that could help the perspective he has on food and farmers. This does not show up in the movie however it does show up in the book and it is one of the closing arguments used in the book.

                I feel like the most powerful thing about this was the way that the animals are treated. The animals are forced to eat things that they usually don’t eat and because of this they become sick and so we don’t also get this sickness it makes the food more chemical filled. It seems like for us to get what we want from these animals we have to risk their health and at the same time we risk our own.