Food, Inc. 2 (2023)

Food, Inc. 2 (2023). 1h 34m

“Greetings again from the darkness. Itu0026#39;s likely director Robert Kenner and producer Melissa Robledo assumed their Oscar nominated documentary FOOD INC (2008) would generate change and improvement in what we eat and how our food supply works. To some extent they were correct, yet here we are 16 years later, and Kenner and Robledo are back with FOOD INC 2, this time as co-directors, to emphasize the dangers of having a few mega-corporations in control of what we eat.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat first documentary has been described as the beginning of u0026quot;the food movementu0026quot;, and itu0026#39;s true that many people have improved their diet by focusing on more natural and organic food sources, and depending less on fast food and processed items. However, itu0026#39;s also true that mergers and acquisitions have allowed food suppliers to get bigger and more powerful over those years … and the Pandemic contributed as well. That first film highlighted our overdependency on corn products, and has led to more local farmers markets and more organic offerings (although still at elevated prices).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis second film informs us that the pandemic exposed just how delicate (and wobbly) our system is. Supermarket shelves sat empty while farmers destroyed crops and animals. The filmmakers hope this film will be a catalyst for closer inspection on how the mega-food companies are controlling what we eat, with a focus on profits rather than nutrition. Author and journalist Michael Pollan and u0026quot;Fast Food Nationu0026quot; author Eric Schlosser are back to lend their knowledge and expertise and concerns. The concern regards monopolies within the various food segments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDiscussion is held regarding President Trump issuing a 2020 executive order citing the Defense Production Act to keep meat packer plants open despite COVID outbreaks. Itu0026#39;s reported here that most of the meat was shipped to China, but U. S. corporate greed and profits remained intact, although no concrete data is provided. Mostly they call for anti-trust laws to be enforced.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSpecifics are provided in the various food segments. The filmmakers take us to Immokalee, Florida where mistreatment of migrant workers is the story; Iowa, where the Tyson plant COVID outbreaks are detailed; Wisconsin, where the dairy industry is mentioned; back to Iowa where crops and soil issues are identified; New Jersey, where US Senator Cory Booker of the Agriculture committee is interviewed; and Montana, where US Senator Jon Tester speaks from experience. The demise of family farms is a by-product of the mergers and trend toward bigger, and the most frightening aspect is in regards to u0026quot;ultra-processed foodsu0026quot; … those with additives and artificial sweeteners. These are the driving force behind diabetes, obesity, and other diseases … and the changes in Brazil diets are especially telling on the last point.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe value in this documentary from Kenner and Robledo is in the information and details. We learn that the big companies are investing in alternative meat and food (such as Impossible Burger), while at the same time taking advantage of research and data focused on sweetness and calories. Foods from science labs may be our future, right along with innovation in u0026quot;weirdu0026quot; farming sustainability (Stockcropper) and kelp fishing/harvesting in Connecticut. Farm-to-table school lunches in Camden, New Jersey provide us some hope, and we learn about the conflicts with the Fair Food Program and labor relations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are no easy answers when billions of people on the globe must be fed. What we must demand is that efforts in the field go towards nutrition and sustainability, and not just profits for a few mega-companies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSpecial theater screening on April 9, 2024 and on Digital beginning April 12, 2024.”