Food, Inc. Lives Up to the Hype

We got into a preview screening of Food, Inc. in Chicago last night, and it didn't disappoint. Director Robert Kenner does an excellent job assembling the various horrors of America's corporate food landscape into a fast-paced and coherent narrative, and he does so without relying too much on gut-wrenching feedlot and slaughterhouse footage -- although there is plenty of that.

In fact, Hannah's Bretzel, a local organic eatery in Chicago (and one that I highly recommend), provided some sandwiches and fresh pretzels to the audience before the film started, but once the movie showed scenes of industrial chicken coops and cattle abuse, I didn't see anyone munching on a sandwich.

What pleases me about Food, Inc. is that it manages to address so many issues, from the food industry behemoths and gmo crops to consumer advocacy and from family farmers to Wal-Mart's organic menu, without watering them down too much. I was most impressed that the film gave so much attention to labor issues at factory farm and slaughterhouse operations.

A feature-length film can and should be made about each one of those issues, but this film does a decent job of boiling down what we've been reading from journalists Micheal Pollan and Eric Schlosser over the past few years for a mainstream audience. Food, Inc. opens at 25 theaters across the country this Friday. Even if you've read the books and know the issues, it's a good way to pass two hours.

-Mark