Food Inc: DVD Review

Food Inc: DVD Review

Food Inc
Rating: PG
Director : Robert Kenner

It's no surprise that at a time when sustainability and the grow your own ideals continue to permeate our society, we should get a doco about the truth about the foods Americans buy at their supermarkets.

In Food Inc, that's precisely what Robert Kenner does as he looks at what is consumed these days, how it's produced and what the personal - and long term - costs are.

With input from Fast Food Nation's author Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma, the veil on the industry is lifted.

However, what is shown on screen doesn't lose any of its impact - amid graphics, we learn of the personal horrors being committed by the mega businesses as they try and stop the family farm from growing. The cheap factory mentality manifests itself as you see how one farmer's being prosecuted for helping other farmers save seed - his actions and desire to prove his innocence have led to years of court cases, which he can't ever win - it's continuing proof that the odds are stacked against the Davids in this fight against Goliath.

All of the major companies talked about in this film obviously refuse to appear so it's fair to say while the doco isn't biased, it certainly doesn't have both sides of the argument represented.

That said, Food Inc presents a compelling case which you feel engrossed in throughout - it throws up several issues which, if you're not already aware of them, may shock you into wanting to do something to break the mega-corp influence.

Extras: The sole extra is a photogallery which while looking pretty as it slideshows across your machine does little to add to the experience; disappointing given that a film like this could always serve up an update as an extra.

Rating: 7/10