Entry #8 - Food, Inc. (Extra Credit)

     Hello, my fellow Lexinator's,

    Earlier this week I was assigned by my English professor to watch the movie, Food, Inc directed by Robert Kenner. I am so glad that I was assigned to watch this movie because I honestly would never have watched it if my professor never assigned it. It's about an unflattering look inside America's corporate-controlled food industry. The movie is very insightful and very moving, it really gets you thinking about your eating habits and how you can change them for the better. Not only were the details and information provided insightfully, but the images that were shown really do a number on viewers. 

    The images of the treatment of animals that were shown were some of the most horrific images that I have ever seen! I literally saw butchers just standing up on ladders with huge cows hanging from the ceiling in front of them, and using massive saws to cut the cows in half. My jaw literally dropped, I could not believe that people had the capability to do something sickening like that. Even seeing small animals like chickens being thrown into choppers is a sight that is unbearable to see, my eyes literally started to tear up. Before I watched this movie I did know where our food comes from and I knew that animals were being killed for our convenience, but it is just completely different when you see it happening. For instance, I went fishing one time when I was little, but once I saw the fish flopping in the bucket in its own blood with its big eyes just looking at me I was absolutely mortified at what I had done. Ever since then I have not eaten a single bit of fish because all I can think about when I see one is the fish that was dying in the bucket back when I was little.

    The government does not want to show this side of the food industry, the cruel side. I am very angry about the deception the federal government has been involved in! They have been keeping the truth and facts about our food industry away from us Americans ever since the early 1900s, that's a little over a century! They never wanted anyone entering any slaughterhouses or chicken houses because they know that if the world saw that then they most likely wouldn't want to eat meat anymore. I know that ever since I saw what happens at slaughterhouses and chicken houses I am second-guessing about eating meat. Everyone deserves to know what is in their food and how it is going to affect them. 

    I have learned so much from watching this movie. For instance, I didn't even know that corn is used to make so many products. Corn is used in McDonald's fries, mustard, ketchup, and even in diapers! It makes sense because corn is such a productive and adaptable crop that is used in research, breeding, and promotion. The great thing about it is that it has incredibly high yields compared to most other U.S. crops, and it grows nearly anywhere in the country, especially prospering in the Midwest and Great Plains. 

    This movie is very insightful for everyone across the country. It is very beneficial to you as a consumer as it informs you on how the food industry works and suggests what to buy at the grocery store, it even suggests shopping at farmer's markets to buy healthier food. It's important to read labels on food items at grocery stores and to refrain from GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Genetically modified organisms are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally. It's important to know all of this because we should care what is being fed not only to ourselves but to our loved ones as well.

        Therefore, I know that we can all get pretty busy with our lives, but I highly suggest watching this movie when you get the chance. It is a very good movie that will inform you on an issue that does not get talked about a lot. There are many things wrong with our food industry and it is time to come up with some new ideas. It is time to start asking ourselves, "Is what we are putting into our bodies organic and GMO-free?" and "How is our food being made?" I have even started thinking about my eating habits and I am seriously thinking about converting to a vegan. I hated seeing the animals being slaughtered and I want to help end that whole process. What do you think? Do you see any problems with our food industry? Would you ever consider being a vegan?

    Sincerely, 

    Alexis Aguilar