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I know I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I saw Food, Inc. last week. I’ve been gaining interest in food industry issues for a couple of years, especially those that address the treatment of animals. A PETA-produced video was one of the factors that contributed to my sorta-vegetarianism. It’s a pretty big deal for me.

In recent months I’ve been questioning the decision I made two years ago to abstain from land-dwelling animal flesh. Maybe I would be OK with meat, I thought, as long as it’s grass-fed, cage-free and humanely slaughtered.  But after an hour of animal cruelty footage, the sight of a happy pig on a non-industrial farm actually brought tears to my eyes. Yup, still vegetarian.

But the genius of Food, Inc. isn’t the cute-animal-sympathy factor (a strategy PETA frequently exploits, along with the “naked girls” school of persuasion). The movie’s real punch comes from its piercing look at the business of food production. A few gigantic companies control the majority of farms, slaughterhouses and processing plants. Their armies of lawyers and lobbyists ensure that the food giants not only get to do whatever they want–they get to do it behind closed doors.

Why are food companies so reluctant to show us how our food is made? Why do they bully their suppliers into keeping their mouths and chicken coops closed? Maybe because they’re afraid we won’t like what we see?

Go see Food, Inc. Even if you’ve never given a second thought to where your food comes from. Especially if you’ve never given a second thought to where your food comes from. It won’t try to guilt you into vegetarianism, I promise–all it will do is show you a side of the food industry you’ve probably never seen. You do eat, don’t you?

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