Food Inc.

The documentary film Food Inc directed by, Robert Kenner, looks into the
process and methods used to produce the massive quantities of food needed to feed the
millions of people around the world. This film begins by showing how companies are
providing a false image that farming is full of green fields and open pastures such as the
ones consumers often see on labels. It then shows what food production really looks like,
factory farmed animals bred in small spaces specifically for consumption, and crops
genetically engineered to produce the highest yields. The film concludes by showing
possible solutions in organic and naturally grown foods, which dont contain the
chemicals and growth hormones as in mass production food. The purpose of this
documentary was to convince the public that the process which produces the majority of
their food is unsanitary and has little concern for the way the animals are treated, or for
the people eating them. The film does this through the use of statistics, expert testimony
and footage of the food production process few people ordinarily see.
One of the primary tools the filmmakers used in the production of this film was
statistics. This was used to show, through measurable data, how the food process is being
controlled largely by only a few companies that produce a large amount of the worlds
food. It shows that over the last 40 years the processing of meat has been almost
completely taken over by only four large companies and similar trends are appearing in
other markets. This appeals to people logically, because they can see how the lack of
competition and rapid growth of these major companies is leading to faster but less safe
food production methods. They also used statistics to show how the growth rate of
animals and plants, such as chicken and corn has changed with the scientific advances

that have been taking place. This also has a logical appeal because the audience can see
how this rapid growth and change can not be good for the food which they are eating. By
showing these statistics the filmmakers are able to clearly illustrate the
need for change in the food system and connect with the audience
which sees the result of this food making process.

Nicholas Marshall
Mrs. Siqueiros
AP Composition and Literature
8/10/14

Another device used when creating this film was expert testimony. When making
this film they interviewed several people involved in various parts of the production of
food, who talked about the process they used and what they thought about it. One such
person was a chicken farmer who worked for the company Perdue, she talked about how
they were forced to grow chickens faster and make them larger and more appealing to the
consumer. Another was a corn farmer who explained that they were under the control of
large seed producing companies, such as Monsanto, which forced them to apply certain
chemicals and plant their crops certain ways to produce the highest possible yields. This
was meant to appeal to the audience emotionally, because it showed that the animals
were not being treated very well and the farmers had almost no say in their businesses. It
also provided support to the documentaries claims, because they were supported by
people who were involved in the production of food and could explain exactly what was
going on. This film also used testimony from a woman who was lobbying the
government to enforce stricter regulations on these companies after she lost her son to
food poisoning caused by the unsanitary conditions in which most food is grown and
processed. This also appealed to viewers emotionally because it showed the danger of
what was being done and showed someone who had been affected terribly by the lack of
safety concern by the major food producing companies. These interviews were important

to the film, because they appealed to the viewers emotionally and allowed them to better
connect to what they were seeing and also provided credibility to what the film was
saying.
The final tool that this film used was footage of the process few people see and a
soundtrack that was meant to change the tone of the film. This film went into the food
processing plants and the farms where they raised the animals to give the audience a
behind the scenes look into the production of their food. First the video looked into the
way that farmers in the southern part of America were raising chickens. The film showed
that there was little or no care for the animals, and that they could barely move and were
often stricken with many diseases. Despite this the farmers were using more and more
techniques that would simply produce a more desirable chicken without taking the
animals themselves or their health into account. It then moved to the raising of cattle,
which was very similar since the cows were also being bred as quickly as possible with
little care. This was intended to appeal to peoples emotions, because the way these
animals are born, grown, then killed as quickly as possible appears to many people to be
cruel and inhumane. The filmmakers added to this effect by changing the soundtrack of
the video to a slower more ominous tone while showing scenes of the mistreatment and
slaughtering of animals. They did this to show that the major corporations that are taking
control of the majority of the food industry may be able to produce more food much
faster, but there is a heavy price being paid in the way the animals are treated.
This film was intended to inform and warn people about the flaws and problems
with the methods being used to produce the food that they eat every day. It achieved this
through statistics and other data, which showed that the majority of food production is

increasingly becoming controlled by only a few very large companies such as Tyson and
Perdue. They added to, as well as supported their claims by having farmers and experts
involved in the creation of food testify as to how the production process was changing,
and what its implications could be for the future. They then used images that appealed to
the audiences emotions by showing them how animals were being treated inside the
massive farms and processing plants. Then a soundtrack was added which appealed to the
sympathy the audience had for the animals that were being raised, and the conditions they
were in. All of this combined to show the viewer there was an immediate need to change
the way food was being produced and grown. The filmmakers then showed possible
solutions in the form of organic farming, which gives animals a healthier, less confined
life, and plants a more natural growth rate. This was done to give the audience, which
must consume this food in the future, a hope for a better alternative to the mass produced
food that large companies are trying to make widely available for a low price. Through
the use of these devices the creators of this film are able to successfully show the public
how their food is being turning into a business with little concern for the methods used
to produce it.