“I’m not like a Michael Moore; I don’t start the film out with a preconceived view,” says Robert Kenner, director of the film, Food Inc.
Kenner held a discussion and screening of the film Wednesday evening at G.W.’s Funger Hall.
Food Inc. explores the food industry to unveil what the average American eater does not know about food, including what shelves their local supermarkets.
Kenner said he decided to do a documentary about food because he felt consumers should know where their food comes from. He discussed the difficulties he faced while filming the documentary, while showing clips and then discussing them in further detail.
Kenner said he struggled with coming up with a tone for the documentary and had to speak with lawyers throughout filming to avoid lawsuits due to restrictions in 13 states known as food defamation laws.
The film shows how things such as corn are subsidized and are used to manufacture goods from diapers to fast food and ketchup. It also provides a “behind-the-scenes” look to show consumers where their meat comes from, when it first leaves the cow or chicken, to when it makes it into the meat section in the supermarket as well as a look into the government agencies that regulate this food, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
One clip showed the story of 2-year old Kevin who died from consuming a hamburger contaminated with e-coli. According to Kenner, the meat Kevin consumed was left on shelves until 2 weeks after he died. With stories like this, Kenner says he isn’t telling Americans what to eat but provides this information to help Americans decide what they want to eat.
Director Robert Kenner was nominated for an Academy Award for the film.
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