Food Inc. Reflection

After watching Food Inc. I have come to the conclusion that I am indifferent about the food industry and how modern fast food is produced. To me, it comes down to the fundamental notion that everyone has a choice to eat however they wish. Personally, I feel no concern for how others choose to feed their bodies. Whether they choose to do it between either organic or processed means is up to them – all I care about is how I take care of myself. I don’t feel the need to persuade others to eat certain foods as opposed to other types. It is a common consensus that what you buy from a fast food restaurant is generally not the healthiest choice you can make – why should I care to make it even more abundantly clear (if that’s even possible) that consuming large quantities of cheeseburgers and fries is harmful to the body?

As golden as my intentions may be, I generally am perceived as being rude to comment on someone else’s eating habits. Who wants to be told what to eat? Who am I to criticize someone else’s personal choices? I bring up this thought because Food Inc. was doing just that – criticizing Americans for the way they consume by attempting to convey guilt through all the chapters. It is as if the filmmakers were blaming the viewers for supporting this modern day food industry.

While I’m sure the movie has impacted many viewers, I don’t believe that it did so as effectively as it could have would the filmmakers have chosen to simply educate the viewer by giving the straight facts rather than constantly criticizing the food industry. How else are we supposed to support such a large population? With a population of 300 million people in the United States, what better way to feed them than to mass produce food for a population that is at constant movement.

I believe that if change is to occur, it is through our education system. Beginning at a young age of informing children is the most effective manner of securing a healthy future. All efforts need to be centralized around the children of America. The process of choosing healthy alternatives requires extensive education so that there is little room for doubt when giving in to temptation. An unbiased, melancholy manner is the best way to go about educating Americans.

Despite my criticism on how the movie conveyed its message, I really enjoyed the piece about large entities, such as WalMart, making organic foods more widely available solely due to consumer demand. If one wants to create change, I believe that simply keeping to yourself and buying organic, non-processed food is a silent, effective way of demanding change. Leading by example and informing the public of the positives of eating locally grown, organic food (as opposed to constantly criticizing food processing companies) is the respectful, effective manner.