Food, Inc.

The surest way for a critic to cripple attendance at a movie he thinks is important is to say, "This is an important movie!"

And yet, I’m going to have to chance it, because "Food, Inc.," which opens here today, is an important movie. It’s a very important movie, one that may have an effect – perhaps a major effect – on how we live, one that shows, sometimes painfully, how and why Americans are being forced to eat an unhealthy diet.

How? By the actions of mammoth company feedlots, farms and processing plants that are perfectly content to produce food that they know contains harmful bacteria.

Why? Because it makes lots of money for corporate executives.

Robert Kenner, a veteran documentary filmmaker, directed "Food, Inc." and was part of a team of producers and writers that included Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation," Elise Pearlstein and Kim Roberts, who also edited. In addition, Michael Pollan, probably the nation’s best-known food and nutrition writer, shows up as a speaker and an advocate. Pollan is the author of "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food," among others.

Kenner is an advocate, too, and the film certainly is one-sided. Monsanto, one of the major villains of the story, Perdue and other giant corporations reportedly ordered those in working relationships not to speak on camera and generally stonewalled the entire project. Monsanto has an entire website here  to say the film is "one-sided and biased," and to dispute Kenner’s claims.

I believe Kenner.

And I believe him because I believe the people he interviewed, like the woman who lost her contract to grow chickens for Perdue because she refused to cover all the windows in the giant coops where the birds live from birth to death. And the farmer in Indiana who insisted on his right to use seed from this year’s crop to plant next year’s, and who sold seed to his neighbors who did not want to plant Monsanto’s, genetically modified with potential harmful results to future generations of people. Monsanto sued, forced him to name his buyers and finally drove him out of business because he could not afford the legal fees to continue his battle. And Joel Salatin, who knows the animals he raises, is unromantic about their fate and still loves them

Film of chickens being slaughtered, of cows unable to stand, are often unsightly.

Film of people who discover that soda costs less than milk, that candy costs less than fresh vegetables and who talk about a child who died from E. Coli poisoning are more so.

A small change in buying, cooking and eating habits could make a large change in the way our food suppliers treat us and what we eat, and that’s the importance of "Food, Inc."

At the Plaza Frontenac

-Joe

Comments

[Joe Farmer]

Joe,
Since you state that you believe Kenner how do you propose that we feed the world without conventional farming and large-scale meat production? Organic? Free range? Please.

Check out today's article in STLToday about how poorly the organic milk business is doing and jsut how twisted the 'rules' are in the business.

Organic is not better, it's elitist. My produce man would laugh that people paid $1.59 a pound for organic bananas when conventional bananas were $.59 per lb. --- just so they could feel better about themselves. Now that the economy has nearly collapsed Mr & Mrs consumer are interested in quality and price, neither of which organic offers.

Lastly,don't you find it ironic that America's largest organic grocer is Wal-Mart!

[Jeremy]

As a producer or rancher of 100% grass fed beef, I am thrilled that a documentary such as Food, Inc. is getting national exposure. America needs to realize what has happened to our food supply and that there are better and affordable ways to procure our food. The biggest problem is that we've become a society based on convenience and immediate satisfaction. I realize it's more convenient to go to one store and buy everything, but our health is suffering because of it. I encourage everyone to visit their local farmer's markets during season as you will be amazed at the variety of produce and meats available at fair prices. Most farmer's don't have organic certification, but if you talk with them you'll realize most adhere to organic practices or better. A good percentage could qualify organic, but don't have the funds to go through the certification process or wish to exclude outside agencies(government, etc.)from being invloved.