Farming methods and modified cells have become a hot-button issue in an agricultural world where plant life is patented on a regular basis.
It may sound like a line from a cheesy science fiction movie, but these food issues are becoming more of a concern every day.
"The Future of Food," a documentary directed by Deborah Koons Garcia, is the final installment of the Margaret Mead Traveling Film Festival. Put on by the American Museum of Natural History, the festival features documentaries about cultural phenomena in the United States and around the world.
"The Future of Food" is an eye-opening glimpse into the transformation of the agricultural industry over the last 40 years. It starts by explaining the roots of farming while a seductive-sounding, yet informative narrator explains that almost 97 percent of crop species have been lost due to monoculture and over-farming.
The introduction is full of colors and vibrant shots of forests and fields, but the picturesque scenes are no indication of what's to come.
A bleak truth is then revealed: everything from soybeans to breast cancer now has a corporate sponsor. A company named Monsanto, one of the biggest corporate buyers of life, bears the brunt of the film's criticism.
The stories told by farmers about their experiences with Monsanto are heartbreaking. One person was sued because a genetically modified canola plant, one of Monsanto's products, had cross-pollinated with plants on the farmer's crop. Monsanto took the farmer to court and won on grounds of patent violation. Another farmer spent all of his retirement savings on legal fees, only to have Monsanto settle out of court.
The film uses wide angles and washed-out colors to emphasize how desolate the land has become.
Debates about genetically modified foods have been ongoing since 1999 when a woman had a near-fatal allergic reaction to a genetically altered ingredient in a chicken enchilada.
Currently, there are no laws stating that food manufacturers have to declare on their label whether a product contains modified ingredients. However, plenty of people want to change this. Eighty to 90 percent of citizens in the United States are in favor of informative labeling and many foreign countries have banned the use of genetically modified ingredients entirely.
Fortunately, the film ends on an uplifting note that gives viewers a reason not to starve themselves. The film could be considered disheartening in that corporate giants are exploiting us, but there is hope in that the more people know, the more they can do to change the system.
A great documentary not only teaches its audience, but inspires them as well. Garcia's film is a labor of love made for the good of the people. It offers viewers a deeper look into seemingly harmless products like corn flakes and fast food. It also forces them to closely examine food choices and confront the idea of a profit-driven corporation being responsible for the nation's food source.
