A documentary review written by: Lee Sonogan
1hr34min (2008)Documentary
Narrator: The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000.
An unappealing look inside America’s corporate controlled food industry. One of the most interesting documentaries about food. This documentary is about how corporations impact farms, to the supermarkets where we buy our food. For the country the size of America, this documentary has many revealing food facts.
Most people have no idea where their food comes. Subjects or topics this movie tackles include factory farming, food production, food safety, FDA and other food matters. Did you know in some states in America it is illegal to criticize some food producers food? Modern agriculture is all about doing things fast. And only caring about profit over the proven negative effects involved in its many processes.
Interesting facts from this documentary:
- 30% of the land base in the US is used to grow corn because government policy farmers are paid to overproduce this easy-to-store crop.
- A food scientist in the documentary said he would guess that 90% of the processed food products in supermarkets contain either a corn or soybean ingredient and most of the time they contain both.
- They are now feeding corn to animals like cows who, who normally are designed to eat grass and in some cases farmers are even teaching fish how to eat corn because it is so cheap.
- You start feeding corn to cows, E. Coli evolves and a certain mutation occurs which is very harmful
- McDonald’s is the #1 buyer of ground beef and potatoes, and one of the top for lettuce and tomatoes.
- The average supermarket stocks over 47,000 products.
- There is some evidence to suggest that cattle finished with as little as 5 days of grass will shed 80% of their E.Coli before slaughter.
- 70% of the food in a modern supermarket has at least one genetically modified ingredient.
- And so much more!
We need changes at the policy level so organic foods are as affordable as junk foods. In having a balance diet you need to have a high ratio of nutrients compared to how much junk food you have. Made in 2008 this movie is still as relevent and important as the day it was released. I recommend this documentary if you are at all concerned or curious about the state of food supply in America. Or any other countries food supply.
7.65/10
Joel Salatin: I think it’s one of the most important battles for consumers to fight: the right to know what’s in their food, and how it was grown.