Exposing the US Food Industry: A Documentary from 16 Years Ago | Food Talk Vol.33

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Which documentary influenced the career choices of our colleagues at Foodthink, prompting us to dedicate ourselves to the food and agriculture sector?

Perhaps it was *Food, Inc.* Released in 2009, the film exposes the inner workings of the US food industry, with a particular focus on the health and environmental issues inherent in food production. Upon its release, it captured public attention and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Over a decade has passed, and in the spring of 2024, the sequel, *Food, Inc. 2*, premiered in North America. Today, issues such as industrialised farming, nutritional homogeneity, and the monopoly of seed giants still persist. We took this opportunity to gather and revisit the original *Food, Inc.*, discussing whether the realities we have encountered are indeed as grim as those portrayed in the film, and which problems within the US food system are also occurring in China.

We hope that this film, which shaped our own perspectives, will also move you. As the film states, as consumers, “you can vote to change our food system. Three times a day.”

Hosts of this Episode

Tianle

Founding Editor of Foodthink and convenor of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market. After watching *Food, Inc.* in a cinema in the US, I was struck that such a documentary could have a theatrical release. I never imagined that the film and the people in it would go on to have such a subtle yet profound influence on my life.

 

 

 

Wang Hao

Editor at Foodthink. The only host who had to rush through the film at the last minute for this recording.

 

 

 

 

 

Xiaojing

Food Talk host. Although she didn’t recall it at first, she discovered she had actually watched *Food, Inc.* in 2019, leaving a review on Douban that read: “The scenes of chicken farming scared me to death”.

 

 

 

 

Ze’en

Editor at Foodthink.

 

 

 

 

The chicken houses shown in *Food, Inc.* emit a pungent odour; these poor conditions pose health threats to both the poultry and the farmers.
The food industry has completely transformed how chickens are raised: compared to 50 years ago, white-feathered chickens now take 70% less time to reach double the size from hatching to slaughter (1950 vs 2008). Today, the maturation period for white-feathered chickens has been shortened to 38 days. However, physiologically, the breast meat grows so large and so quickly that the heart struggles to provide a sufficient blood supply.
Food choices in supermarkets appear vast, yet the vast majority contain corn and soy. Through chemical processing, corn can be transformed into ingredients such as syrup, xanthan gum, diglycerols, and Vitamin C; behind this superficial “diversity” lies the hidden risk of nutritional imbalance.
In 2008, the year *Food, Inc.* was released, 90% of soybean seeds in the US contained genes from Monsanto. Because these seeds are patent-protected, farmers are forbidden from saving seeds. Market monopolies and genetic drift meant that even farmers who saved their own seeds could not remain unaffected. Over the following decade, due to the relentless infringement lawsuits brought by Monsanto’s legal team, most farmers shifted from anger to silent acceptance.

Timeline

01:04 With the release of Food, Inc. 2, let’s first recap what the first film was all about.

05:54 Meat and dairy are incredibly cheap in the US—is that actually true?

08:28 The 49-day chicken is now a thing of the past; ‘efficiency’ is now achieved in just 38 days.

12:53 The food before us is a dazzling array, but whether it is meat, cereal, or soft drinks, over 70% of the supply is controlled by a handful of giant corporations. These powerhouse companies are like the Voldemorts of the food industry—their names are almost forbidden to be spoken.

19:35 Why can naturally growing seeds be ‘patented’? Let’s talk about another giant: the seed empire, Monsanto.

25:12 Fast food is so cheap, but what is the true cost of our food?

33:19 Do free-range chickens carry Salmonella? Mass-reared meat has also seen frequent large-scale bacterial outbreaks; perhaps it is time to update your concepts of hygiene.

38:19 In the 15 years since the film’s release, has the situation in the US improved or worsened? And what about China?

41:40 When you don’t feel like cooking at home, you order a takeaway—only to find the restaurant doesn’t ‘want to cook’ either…

47:13 “You can vote to change the food system, and you have three opportunities a day.”

Related to this episode: Books and Documentaries

Posters for Food, Inc. and Food, Inc. 2.
Michael Pollan’s works, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
Seed Empire, a new work detailing the history of the US multinational agricultural corporation Monsanto.
Fast Food Nation, another documentary written by Eric Schlosser, one of the leads in Food, Inc.
Yang Pan: Miami Youth and Shanghai Xiaolongbao.

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This episode’s production team

Production: Xiaojing

Music: Binong

Editing: Wang Hao

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

 

Published by Foodthink