TOW #28: Food, Inc.

   In America, food can be more of a risk than a need today. If one is not aware of the health concerns involving different types of food, that one food choice can quickly be mistaken for fatality instead of nourishment. In the documentary Food, Inc., the food industry behind closed doors was investigated and discussed. In our modern world today, there are thousands of different ways to create a product, most of which can be deemed unhealthy. Many do not know the creation and process of how their food is made, but it is consumed anyway. The documentary brings this issue to the surface and creates awareness for viewers in America. In order to increase awareness in an effective and entertaining way, the filmmakers use verisimilitude, animation, and personal testimony.
  Starting with a verisimilitude at the beginning of the film draws the viewer in and establishes an automatic speaker to audience relationship. The human truth that everyone can connect to allows the viewer to feel connected to the film because right off the bat they can easily relate to it. The narrator films through an average American supermarket, noting all of the products that say "farm fresh." Everyone is familiar with the products shown such as eggs, butter, poultry, and they can relate to buying them and trusting that they are fresh from the farm. Taking the viewer through an average American supermarket connects to their daily life, allowing the audience to relate and be drawn into the start of the film. The commencement of the film is crucial to the decision whether or not an audience will continue watching.
  While describing certain topics in the film, animation is used which betters the understanding of the topics being discussed so the audience can follow along easily. While discussing how chicken has been redefined in the past few years, the film includes an animation for the audience to follow along with. It illustrates the difference between a normal chicken and the chickens that the farmers are raising today, clearly depicting the image of an unhealthy chicken. It shows the sickening process modern day farmers are putting their chickens through, just to get more meat on them and satisfy the consumer in the quickest, most efficient way. Using the animation helps illustrate the major differences that food has gone through, while entertaining and informing the audience of the bad changes happening in the food industry today.
 To also help illustrate the enormous power big food companies have today, the film incorporated personal testimonies of farmers to share their view on the current food industry. Farmers that work for companies such as Purdue, Tyson, and Monsanto were interviewed, and showed the camera their farm and the conditions the companies made them keep. The chickens lived in their own manure with dead chickens around in a dark enclosed shack. One of the farmers who refused to put shutters on her barn was fired from Purdue. A farmer growing his own grains was sued by Monsanto because he was not using their genetically altered grain. Interviewing these farmers for their point of view on the current food industry kept the documentary informative and entertaining, with the sole purpose of informing the public about the activities of the industry behind closed doors. Using verisimilitude and animation also helped illustrate the evolution of food today, which has started to take a negative spiral. Showing this documentary can only make the American public more aware of the food they are buying and what is going into their body.