Friday, May 8, 2015

Artificial Farms?!

Reflection of Food, Inc. (Documentary; Kenner, Robert)
By: Anna Khairi

Farms. Farms. Farms. What do you know about farms? Cows, chickens and pigs roaming their unequally divided area, would the first thing that pops into your mind. It's unfortunate that it's the image painted into the young and older minds of our community.

Behind the conventional farmer's barn lies a dirty little secret. Food, Inc., a documentary, only touches the surface about the true meaning of "farms" to big corporations like Monsanto. Well known fast food destinations (like McDonald) revolutionized the food industry. McDonald is a the largest purchaser of ground beef in the United States. It doesn't seem like it would pose a threat to what we eat, but it does. Since McDonald floats at the top of the pyramid, they are able to control 80% of how the cows are raised. This allows for their burgers to taste the same. They determine how beef are produced.

This doesn't just apply to fast food. It applies toward the meat we purchase at the grocery store. Most meats are controlled by 3-4 large companies. We give them that power by sourcing them for our dinner pates. Chickens today get slaughtered in half the time as they use to 55 years ago; chickens now, are twice the size. Since people tend to eat more white meat, they genetically engineered the chicken to have larger breast.

That doesn't sound something that a typical farm would do. In children's books, cows eat yellow sweet corn. That's unconventional for them; normally they'd eat grass. These small things are noticeable. I don't really support how this film justified these large corporations, perpetrating them for their actions because of their benefits for the general population; however, I do agree that these companies were in the wrong for antagonizing smaller farms for harvesting their GMO produce, when the wind blew it over.

I think we can do something about this situation at hand. We can stop/boycott these large companies or even just educating the public about what goes on in these "farms." It would also be hard to take such an immense step like that. The companies own the majority top brand meats and produce. And because of that, it's harder to leave something when it's more at you convenience.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie. I thought it was very interesting and not boring. I'd definitely recommend this film to my fellow peers, educators and community. The graphics and animations, were phenomenal. The transition from different subtopics didn't drag out; it was very informative and kept my attention!

These corporations, are the artificial farms.


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