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Food, Inc. Summary
If you aren’t completely familiar with what it is, Food, Inc was created by documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner and narrated by Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), and also features commentary from Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma).
It lifts the veil on how the nation’s food industry has been consumed by corporations and how that impacts the farms where our food comes from, the supermarkets where we buy our food, and the restaurants where we eat that food. It tackles the FDA, food safety, food production, large-scale animal processing plants, and other food matters. If you are at all concerned or curious about the state of food supply in America, you should watch Food, Inc.
Featured Comment
This is a What a great summary of the whole movie! You really got it all here for us to show others and live by. Thanks!
How Can I Watch Food, Inc.?
When the documentary Food, Inc premiered on PBS in 2010, I was able to watch it live and I took notes on some of the highlights, When the documentary Food, Inc premiered on PBS in 2010, I was able to watch it live and I took notes on some of the highlights, which you can read below. If you missed it back then, you can stream it with Amazon Prime Video or purchase it on Amazon. You officially have no more excuses to not be enlightened by this movie!
How True is the Movie?
The footage shot from this documentary comes from farmers, workers, consumer advocates, and a few people who work in the industry who were willing to speak up about what they see on a daily basis within these mammoth corporations.
The Key Takeaways from the Movie
Supermarkets and Corn
- The tomatoes you buy in the grocery store are picked when green and then ripened with ethylene gas
- The food industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what you are eating because if you did you might not eat it—it is a world deliberately hidden from us
- Most people have no idea where their food comes from (do you?)
- The fact that people need to write a book (and a blog!) telling people where their food comes from shows how far removed we are
- The average grocery store has 47,000 products which makes it look like there is a large variety of choices—but it is an illusion—there are only a handful of corporations (like Monsanto, Tyson, and Perdue for example) and a few major crops involved
- So much of the processed food is just clever rearrangements of corn (here are just a few examples of the additives that are derived from corn: cellulose, saccharin, polydextrose, xanthan gum, maltodextrin, and my favorite—ha ha ha—high fructose corn syrup)
- 30% of our land base in the US is used to grow corn because thanks to government policy farmers are paid to overproduce this easy-to-store crop
- Farmers are producing so much corn that food scientists had to come up with uses for it—just like some of the additives listed above
- Food scientists have also spent a lot of time reengineering our foods—so they last longer on grocery store shelves and don’t get stale
- A food scientist in the movie said he would guess that 90% of the processed food products in the grocery store contain either a corn or soybean ingredient and most of the time they contain both (so you may be eating less variety than you think)
- Plus they are now feeding corn to animals like cows who, by evolution, are designed to eat grass and in some cases, farmers are even teaching fish how to eat corn because it is so cheap
- At the supermarket, candy, chips, and soda are all cheaper than produce
- A double-cheeseburger from McDonald’s is 99 cents and you can’t even get a head of broccoli for that price
- Those snack calories are cheaper because the commodity crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans are heavily subsidized
- This is why the biggest predictor of obesity is income level
- Type 2 diabetes used to only affect adults and now it is affecting children in epidemic proportions
- Modern agriculture is all about doing things faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper…no one is thinking about the health of our system
- People are so disconnected and ignorant about something as intimate as the food that we eat that food producers have been given a high level of influence.
Cows and Beef
- McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of ground beef (and potatoes, apples, pork, and even tomatoes) in the United States, and they want their food to taste the same everywhere, so they have a great influence on the system—so even if you don’t eat at fast-food restaurants you may be eating meat produced by this system
- What it comes down to is that, similar to the meat industry, only a handful of companies are controlling our entire food system:In 1970 – the top 5 beef packers controlled 25% of the market
- Today – the top 4 beef packers control 80% of the market
- You start feeding corn to cows, E. Coli evolves and a certain mutation occurs which is very a harmful bacteria
- Animals at factory farms stand ankle deep in their manure all day long so if one cow has E. Coli others can get it too
- At a slaughterhouse their hides are caked with manure and if you are slaughtering 400 cows per hour how do you keep it from spreading?
- So these harmful new strains of e Coli, that didn’t use to be in the world, are now a problem
- E. Coli is even in spinach and apple juice because of the runoff from factory farms
- It doesn’t help that the Chief of Staff for the USDA was a former lobbyist for the beef industry
- Regulatory agencies are being controlled by the very companies they are supposed to be scrutinizing
- There has always been food poisoning, but food is not getting safer it is becoming more contaminated because with the bigger factories it spreads the problem far and wide
- There are only 13 slaughterhouses for the majority of beef in all the US
- Ground beef from the grocery store has thousands of different cows mixed up in it so the chance of one of those cows in your meat having a disease is increased
- After eating hamburger contaminated with E. Coli 0157:H7 a woman’s 2-year-old son went from a perfectly healthy boy to being dead in 12 days
- In the 90’s some industrial meat factories were tested for E. Coli 0157:H7 and if they failed they were supposed to be shut down—but there was not enough authority to close the contaminated plants
- Some companies are now using a hamburger meat filler cleansed with ammonia hydroxide to help kill E. Coli (mmm…that sounds tasty)
Chickens and Industrial Chicken Farms
- Chickens are being raised in half the time they were in the 1950s (49 days vs. 3 months), but even in half the time they are ending up twice as big (thanks to antibiotics, among other things)
- People like white meat so scientists have managed to redesign the chicken to have bigger breasts
- Today’s industrial chicken farms produce a lot of food, on a small amount of land, for a very affordable price
- A TysonChickenfarmer says the chickens never even see sunlight—they are kept day and night in chicken houses with no windows
- When chickens grow from a baby chic to a 5.5 lb chicken in 7 weeks the bones can’t keep up with growth—which means some can’t handle the weight that they are carrying so when they try to take a few steps they fall down
- Corn is cheap (and also helps make the chickens fat quickly) so it has allowed us to drive down the price of meat—over 200 lbs of meat per person per year would not be possible without this diet of cheap grain
- Is cheapness everything there is? Who wants to buy a cheap car?
- It is actually expensive food when considering the environmental and health costs
Pork and Hog Processing Plants
- Those who work for a Smithfield hog processing plant say the company has the same mentality toward workers as they do the hogs—no concern for the safety of workers
- They slaughter 32,000 hogs per day (2,000 hogs an hour) and employees get infections from handling the guts so much
- Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US and it is done by a lot of illegal immigrants
The Government’s Role
- The Government is dominated by the industries it is supposed to be regulating (via the way of former industry execs that are now government regulators)
- 70% of processed foods have some sort of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)—the food industry fought against having to label foods as GMO and won
- It is also against the law to criticize the food industry’s foods—thanks to the “Veggie Libel Laws”
- The food industry has different protections than other industries (remember how Oprah was sued after saying she won’t eat another burger)
- In Colorado, it is actually a felony and you can go to prison for criticizing their foods
- The “Cheeseburger bills” make it difficult to sue them, but these companies have legions of attorneys and they may sue you (even if they can’t win) just to send a message
What We Can Do to Change things
- The average American consumer does not feel very powerful and it is the exact opposite because when we buy our food we are voting for local or not or organic or not
- Individual consumers changed the biggest retailer’s milk options to now offer organic (Wal-Mart)
- We also need changes at the policy level so organic foods are more affordable than junk foods
- The tobacco industry had huge control over public policy and it is the perfect model on how an industry’s irresponsible behavior was changed
- The food industry will deliver to the marketplace what the marketplace demands—so if we demand good wholesome food we will get it
- You can vote to change the system 3 times a day
- Choose foods that are in season, local, organic, and read the labels when you go to the grocery store (which is what this blog is all about!)
- Cook a meal with your family and eat together…everyone has a right to healthy food
- You can change the world with every bite
Other Food Industry Related Topics
If you’ve watched the documentary, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Lisa,
Over the past several years I’ve seen you highlight and recommend foods,especially snack foods that contain some of the very ingredients that the documentary Food Inc. says to avoid.
I watched the documentary and read Michael Pollan’s book years ago. Your blog years ago lined up exactly with the food philosophy of the documentary and Michael’s book. I used to love this blog until several years ago when your philosophy seemed to stray. I would love to see you feature more foods that are in line with your original blog from years ago and from the food inc documentary you featured in the post.
Since being diagnosed with cancer I have been on a good nutrition journey. It’s difficult to buy mostly organic, but our Aldis is offering a fair amount of products and has cut out artificial colors, etc. When my health is better I plan on having a square foot raised bed garden. The prophet of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons , has been telling us to have a garden for probably 50 years. It saves so much money and is much healthier. Most of us also refrain from coffee, tea, and soft drinks which helps cut unnecessary calories and all the bad additives in soft drinks. Unfortunately, I am addicted to Cokes, and studies show that is one reason that the number of diabetics is increasing, especially in children. I’m thankful I found your blog and have your book. I have improved a little and bake with half whole wheat and half white flour, A new way to eat takes adjustment, but we need to realize how important good health is, especially for our children.
Thank you
What a great summary of the whole movie! You really got it all here for us to show others and live by. Thanks!
thank you!
I have to order chicken and beef online from companies that are using humane ways of raising them. Locally, I don’t have the ability to purchase meats and veggies from a farmer’s market, which I hate!
Factory farming of animals is a disgusting practice for a variety of social, environmental, and moral reasons.
Another question that has puzzled my mind is the increase in food allergies (within the past 20-30 years) and its connection to GMO’s. They have done tests on rats feeding them organic food, genetically modified food, and food sprayed with pesticides. The results were that the rats that were living on a GMO diet got sick the most (I’m not surprised). But i personally feel like genetically modifying things we eat is affecting and causing more food allergies. Personally, I love watermelon; however within the past five years I cant eat it anymore because it cause my mouth to swell, itch, become red, and burn, and actually prompted a whole discussion on this topic with my family.
If you have Amazon Prime, Food, Inc streams for free in Amazon Instant Video. Thanks for giving me something to do this weekend!
I did some research on chickens and growth hormones. Since the 1950s it has been against the law to give chickens growth hormones and steroids. Yet Food Inc. claims this is being done and that is why chickens are growing larger and faster. It concerns me that the film would get something like this wrong. It makes me ask the question “What else did they get wrong?”. I am a proponent of organic and whole foods but a film supporting these issues needs to get their facts right. Any comment on this? Did I get this wrong?
Hi Elizabeth – You are correct, growth hormones are not allowed to be administered to chickens in the US. Lisa mistakenly wrote “growth hormones” in this post originally when she meant “antibiotics.” I have since updated the post for accuracy, so thanks for pointing that out! I checked a transcript of the documentary “Food, Inc.,” and it does not claim chickens are given growth hormones. – Jason
Vote to change the system? What? Where? How? Thanks.
Hi Kristina. One of the best ways is by “voting with your wallet” by what you buy or refuse to buy. Go here to take action: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc. ~Amy
buy organic or local foods? duh
I really like how many people assume things about farming when they do not even know. On this article is says how chicken never see sunlight that’s completely FALSE for the majority of farmers yes there are some people that abuse your animals. My chickens have an extremely large pen outside when they also can get to an indoor house as well. Also corn is not harmful to cows it provides them a lot of nutrients. This article also says how modern farming is always about doing things faster and cheaper. Have any of you ever been a farmer it is not easy and is NOT cheap! Farming is extremely expensive and their is a huge risk in farming because they is so many things that could go wrong and you could not receive a profit! Lastly farmers are not not overpaid by the government.
PLEASE BE EDUCATED BEFORE YOU MAKE FALSE ALLEGATIONS ARE FARMING.
Visit a local farmer and talk to him or her about their farm and how animals are raised.
Hello. In Food Inc. they are referencing the practices on many large factory farms.
growth hormones are illegal in the US for use in poultry, so that was misleading information. Scientists have figured out which traits of the chicken let them grow the biggest, it’s not good, considering the chickens cant even walk. but no growth hormones are used. :)
Good for you. Thank you for taking and sharing notes on the documentary of Food Inc. I watched the film a few days ago and googled to see what other people say about this film. I wish every body takes the time to watch it. I am doing all I can to make a difference. We have always been growing garden and buy local produce that are available. We only purchase what we can’t grow on our own and rarely eat out. Thanks again. Keep up the good work.
Hi Lisa!
I did a News Report for my Nutrition class and included you in my resources on which I completed research. You have precise key points regarding Food, Inc. and I absolutely love your blog!
Thanks :)
I know I’m a bit late to the party given that this post is almost 3 years old. However, WELL DONE – fabulous post. You have summed up a very complicated issue that is near and dear to my heart. I will be bookmarking it for future reference.
My son who attends U. of Alabama called today to discuss a class he had yesterday about mad cow disease. It was so interesting listening to him discuss the cellular level of the disease. Of course I then had to bring it around to the causes of it spreading. He discussed the practices (basically forced cannibalism) that allowed it to perpetuate. He followed it up with letting me know that Britain has now established laws that no longer allow farmers to force cannibalism on their animals which are sold to the public. (Now came my time for the perfect question.) “Did you know that in the US those practices still occur and are govermentally supported?” After an hour long discussion of some of the highlights from your site, I finished with, “Now you know why I am sickened and disgusted with the food you are forced to eat at those cafeterias.” I hope I have opened his eyes at least a little. Luckily, he was raised on “healthier” food than most kids. Lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Unfortunately, though a better diet than many kids in the US, I have learned I could have done much better. “When I knew better, I did better.”
I didn’t see this site mentioned in the comments above, but for anyone looking for local farms to buy meat check out http://eatwild.com/ Its a great search site & has helped me a couple different times, as we’ve moved in the last 2 years.
WOW!
BTW love the blog. While we have made lots of changes so far it has been from processed junk to organic junk. We’d love to get away from it all…..thank you for helping out in that area!!!
We watched this last March and completely revamped the way we eat because of it. Finally this week we got a vitamix blender to make it easier to eat fruits and veggies.
My BIL watched it and then went and ate a bologna sandwich. Didn’t even phase him.
Friends of ours watched it and the husband’s response “that’s sad but it tastes good”….. no changes.
Sad!!
I have watched this movie twice and the images of the way the animals are kept is disturbing. The companies not talking on anything and how they terminated some of the farmers contracts is stupid. I don’t understand how the government is doing nothing. Thank you so much for posting a website with facts on the movie!! I have a test on this and it really is a great review!!!!!
thank you, you are a life saver..i have a test tommorrow and food inc. is on it.. i was away the day we saw this….i know all about it now… THANKS TO YOU :D :D great review keep it upp :D :D
Thank you so much for this. I watched the documentary in business class but didn’t take any notes for sheer horror of what was going on. Im from Canada but i cant imagine the situation to be much better. Thank you again.
“Modern agriculture is all about doing things faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper…no one is thinking about the health of our system.
People are so disconnected and ignorant about something as intimate as the food that we eat.”
Wow! This really sums it up. Our meats, poultry, seafood and plants, are all being genetically modified or pumped full of growth hormones to accomplish the “faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper…” with no thought to the long term health effects it will have on us. We just trust that what is in our local grocery store is safe to eat while we work and raise our families.
I’m waking up to the fact that it is about big business and we need be aware of what we are consuming and make changes for our family.
Thank you for sharing all this wonderful information.
WOW – lots of info. Thank you for that. I have not seen the movie yet but I do want to. I would really like to know more about food in general and eat healthier. Thanks again.
Awesome!
Wow! Thank you!
Very thorough! Love it!
One thing, though. It is illegal to use growth hormones on chickens and pork in the United States. The Tyson/Perdue chickens in the film didn’t use growth hormones–they were genetically engineered/bred to be that way. So when you see “hormone-free” chicken at the store, it’s all marketing. All the chicken is hormone-free! ;)
Thanks for the info!
Missed the pbs airing, but definitely appreciate your efforts here. The book Skinny Bitch was my intro to slaughterhouses, etc. Am checking out Diet 4 a New America and Fast Food Nation and The End of Over Eating. Thanks again for spreading the word!
Fascinating! We started purchasing whole steer from the local farm last year, and it’s working out really well for us. We found a great website with lots of great dishes like this meat recipe to keep us going.
Do you have a list of safe companies to purchase meat from. Is Applegate a good company to purchase a turkey breast fo thanksgiving? Thanks, Kathy
The best place to buy any kind of meat is from a local farm in your area where you can ask them what they’ve fed the animals and how they’ve been cared for. This website might help you find some farms close-by: http://www.localharvest.org/
I watched the whole thing – was thoroughly disturbed, had restless sleep, and awful nightmares (even though I am not completely in the dark about what is going on with our food). That being said, I was glad to find this highlights summary on your website so I can at least tell more people to check out your website. My husband and some of my friends would never watch the movie, but will appreciate the highlights you recorded on the blog. It is a nice reminder for me too!
So glad to hear that and thanks for passing it on!
i watched it when it was on the other night and i was so mad I couldnt sleep afterwards. I consider my self a bit informed, but Mansanto not allowing soy bean farmers to clean and reuse their seeds. Its crazy!
I agree – so much of what the movie showed us was really disturbing! I wish I could have fit in the part about Monsanto in my summary, but there was just SOOO much good information it made it hard to convey everything and still keep it concise. I hope everyone gets a chance to watch the whole thing!
Awesome summary, how can you not do something with all of this great information!!!!
Thank you Amy! And I couldn’t agree with you more…you have to be really thick headed if you don’t start making some changes after reading/watching this!