My dear Food, Inc: you do not disappoint.

Tackling some familiar concerning concepts — the inhumanity of factory farming, the danger of pesticides, the fears about genetically modified seeds — Food, Inc. connects all the dots: composing a compelling narrative regarding the loss of Americana agronomics through the introduction of corrupt business, and its consequence of destroying our health for the sake of profit. But doom and gloom is not the only message here, and the film also does an excellent job in offering simple solutions, which can promote positive change in food safety, personal health, industry economics and environmental security.

Since its opening, the film has quickly become the darling of news outlets across the US — one after another praising the message as exceptionally relevant and compelling, while packaged in a well organized, researched, and grounded medium. Food, Inc. speaks our language: It’s pretty clear we want change. It’s pretty clear we want to feel good. And we obviously want to do the right thing.

But there’s one place this love-train doesn’t run, and wouldn’t you know it, that place is Monsanto’s blog. In fact, they’ve developed a whole section of their website to trash-talk the film and the ideas of organic, local, and natural farming that it promotes. In Monsanto’s words:

Food, Inc. is a one-sided, biased film that the creators claim will “lift the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer.” . . .Throughout this film, Food, Inc.:

* Demonizes American farmers and the agriculture system responsible for feeding over 300 million people in the United States.
* Presents an unrealistic view of how to feed a growing nation while ignoring the practical demands of the American consumer and the fundamental needs of consumers around the world.
* Disregards the fact that multiple agriculture systems should – and do – coexist.

Thank you Monsanto. I do believe you have just defined hypocrisy.

Food, Inc. is a documentary that provides a crystal clear understanding of what’s really behind what we are putting on our plate and inside our mouths. Though some of the information may be hard to swallow, the “feel good” part of this flick is clearly in our choices.