Ignorance is Bliss With respect to politics, food is a tender subject of much debate, involving several lawsuits court hearings, and Supreme Court rulings. In the documentary Food Inc. we take a journey behind the curtain of the origins of our food. Through the documentary we are exposed to a chilling world of greed, corruption, animal cruelty, and extortion. One of the most alarming facts about our food system is that for years corporations have been sending lobbyists to Washington D.C to persuade law makers to deregulate the food industry. Without regulations, packaging companies such as Tyson will not be required to label their products with important information such as the foods origins.
The biggest problem with today’s food system is, companies treat their customers like their product. In the eyes of the company the consumer is like a chicken, you can feed it whatever you want, it has no rights and most importantly the company is not responsible for its health. As a nation we are guilty of ignorance, we don't even know what we are eating. The companies prefer that their consumers stay ignorant that way they will continue to consume the product. Food Inc. aims to suspend this ignorance. The level of greed induced malice in today’s food industry is truly appalling. According to Food Inc. many high ranking government officials with responsibilities concerning the food industry were once employees or affiliates of companies such as Monsanto, and Tyson. The purpose of having such individuals in these positions is that they make it possible for billion dollar conglomerates to become even larger. One of the largest problems we face today with respect to food is the labeling of all food products. This includes packaged meats and fast food like McDonald’s.
Today McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef and potatoes. I believe that we as consumers have a right to know that one hamburger patty potentially contains the DNA of three thousand cattle. Each bovine is a possible pathogen carrier and McDonald’s would have its customers remain ignorant of their products integrity for the sake of protecting their bottom line. The case of McDonald’s is but one example of the dangers of greed. We as consumers and voters need to send a message to companies like McDonald’s, Monsanto, and Tyson by having our voices heard, we refuse to consume their morally bankrupt products anymore.