Food, Inc.

[Beate]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/

"An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry."

This documentary by Robert Kenner, nominated for best documentary at the Oscars, will be released tomorrow.

We saw it tonight at Soho House, after wandering around aimlessly for at least 10 minutes around Old Brompton Street, trying to find the entrance - any entrance to the building. A helpful lady eventually showed us to the member's entrance where someone finally explained where to go. Arriving out of breath (3 flights of stairs) at the tiny screening room (27 seats) we discovered MariaLionza and hdaniel82 were already there, but we bagged some seats for us and bevvy + OH in the last row. I think there were 20 of us in the end watching the film, sitting in comfy but tight seats.

The film is quite hard-hitting and I was cursing myself for not having eaten earlier - no way could I have a burger now! You saw how large food corporations force chicken farmers to rear chickens in totally inhumane conditions, how most of the processed food in American supermarkets comes from 4 large companies only, how cheap corn is in almost everything these days and that this cheap corn production has ruined lots of Mexican farmers who in turn are hired by these large companies to come over illegally to work in meat-production. But when the government cracks down, it isn't cracking down on the companies who hire illegal immigrants, it is cracking down on the immigrants. They never do large raids, just arrest 15 immigrants or so a day so as not to disrupt the production line too much!

There was also an awful story of a mother who had lost her 2 1/2 year old son to ecoli contracted by eating a burger - the contaminated meat from that line was not recalled until 16 days after his death. She is now campaigning for better food safety and for "Kevin's Law" to finally being passed - it will allow the authorities to close down companies who persistently sell contaminated food.

What I also found staggering was the obese Hispanic family who resort to eating fast food even though they know it is not good for them because they have no time to cook and it's much cheaper than vegetables - but in return the father has become diabetic and his medicine costs hundres of pounds! No wonder poor people in America don't live as long as richer people do.

There was more stuff but it was a lot to take in, and the gist of it was that large food conglomerates are now controlling the market and have changed the way we eat. Even if we are not eating at fast food restaurants, the meat we get in supermarkets has been produced a certain way for McDonalds et al as they are the largest purchaser of meat, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes etc. in America.

I liked Bruce Springsteen singing "My Land" at the end!

7.5/10

[hdaniel82]

As Beate says, a hard hitting movie. A real look inside corporate America's food industry that I would highly recommend watching. Excellent. Thanks so much for the tickets Beate, and good to meet you!

[Beate]

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/rev ... FID=136687

Plot
Documentary detailing the many ways that the U.S. is manipulated and exploited by their food industry.

Review
It might come as a surprise to you, as it did to us, to learn that you could go to jail in Colorado for merely criticising the ground beef that’s produced in that state. Similarly, corn (a cheap, easily raised and heavily subsidised crop) can be found in cheese, peanut butter and batteries. And don’t let’s get started on the shocking figures about early onset diabetes and the E. coli virus in modern America.

To its credit, Food, Inc. chooses not to hit its audience over the head with a litany of ghoulish facts and figures. Instead, with the help of Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser, it unearths a country unwittingly in thrall to corporate machinations, horrific, near illegal farming practices and legislation that is slowly squeezing the independent farmer and consumers to death.

Verdict
Compelling, entertaining and illuminating documentary which makes you think twice, and then a few more times, about eating anything at all in U.S.

Four Stars
Reviewer: Phil Wilding