The documentary movie about “Food Inc” has a lot of relations to the study of International Relation. First, the movie is about the story of food we eat today. Second, it is about the consequences of today food. Third, it is about the movement of alternative food. Fourth, in this paper, I will discuss about the food issue in the movie and new human security in the field of International Relation.
Firstly, the movie shocked me after and during watching it. The food we eat today is beyond our imagination. Meats what we have today are actually not only not from the farms but also the cows were not raised by farmers. The meats we eat are being produced from the factories. From the star to the end, for the meats to be eaten, many other resources are being used such as patrol, water and corn. Moreover, from my understanding, the cows are being engineered their biophysical to fit with food what they are being fed. Another food story is about chicken. The chickens we have today are being modified genetically to meet with the needs of consumers. The chickens are not gown naturally. They are being trapped in dark buildings. They are treated as non living things. The worst thing, in my view, is that the chickens could not even walk for many steps because of their heavy-body weight. At least, in my opinion, eventually they will be sloughed; they should have some kind of real chickens’ lives.
Accordingly, food story in vegetation is also one part in the movies. Many farmers in the United States grow only a few species of crop. The farmers are not allowed to store their own seed. If they do, they will be threatened by the seed companies. So, instead of growing multi-crops, the famers have to grow the seed or crop what the companies produced. Another one bad thing is that farmers who tried to clean the GMO seeds or crop were sued by the companies. In the process of vegetation, something we have to worry is so many of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides are being used than what we think.
Secondly, one of the significant consequences in the movie is the death of a child from eating too many hamburgers which contain beef. There are others consequences such as many farmers are being investigated and are in debt. Furthermore, because of fast food factories and animal slaughter factories, many people are being hired to work as machines in the factories.
Thirdly, even though there are many problems concerning with the food we eat today, the documentary movie also provide some alternative solution. One thing is community members can establish organic farming, organic market and building people awareness of food. By doing organic animal farming, automatically, we can have fertilizers from animal dung. This is one best thing compare to factories animals. Another solution in the Food Inc is have Kelvin Law. So, by having some kind of law, people still have hope to fight for or at least there are people around aware of the situation. This is also a good lead to a better solution.
Our today food is controlled by multi-national cooperation. Food production is different from traditional. So, the way of economy is changing, here, I would to emphasize on food which nowadays is one kind of threat to human security. As multi-national cooperation is controlling the world, the way they manage the world economy is also affected world food security. Fist thing is large number of food factories destroy changes the human ecology. For example, instead of having organic or healthy food as before, we can only have food is engineered. Another thing is, indirectly, non-state actors have more sovereignty power than state actors. For instance, many governments have to depend more on cooperation in order to run their administrations. This is political injustice. The government care of more about the rich people than poor people. Then, automatically, this kind of situation can lead to human rights security. In order to run the food factories, the cooperation need many other resources such as oil, minerals for transportation specifically. So, to get those resources for food production for the benefit of the cooperation, the state government is being negotiated for the purpose of neglecting the abuse of human rights: the monopoly of illegal labors in the factories.
The next thing is environmental security which is one category of new security. The controlling of MNCs in genetically modify seeds lead to mono-crop; and the using of pesticides for mass production leads to pollution, soil degradation and the loss of organic layer of soil. Another thing is the way that cooperation companies forbid to save traditional seed can lead to the loss of plant species. Consequently, it can cause more poverty in the developing countries. For example, the poor farmers still have to buy crop for future plantation even though they do not have enough money. In addition, to survive, the poor famers will take risks in debt for buying new corps. This is because the farmer cannot save the seeds. The influence of cooperation is food production is one kind of social discrimination. For example, in the Food Inc, even though the famers are doing their own business, the cooperation companies are controlling them. The farmers are not free to farm or grow what they would like to do.
Another threat of human security is health security cause by pesticide or insecticide. By using a large number of pesticide or insecticide to increase agriculture productions in fertilizing mono-crop which are product of cooperation (Monsanto) is a threat of human health security. One example in the Food Inc documentary movie is the death of Kelvin.
Besides health security, there is also human rights issue. Here, I would like to point out the workers who migrated into the States illegally and work for chicken farm. Not only they cannot express their ideas or speeches about the human food situation today, but also are not allowed to move with freedom. They still have to be afraid of being arrested. Even though the chicken-farm-worker entered the States illegally, in my opinion, they have the right of freedom to move. Taking about rights, the Food Inc also imply about lack of responsibility. The cooperation companies do not put the real label in the food’s packages. Further, when the food is eaten, and people got diseases, the companies do not even admit or take any responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
Concerning with our food today, it can lead to economic security. From the Food Inc, we can see that, we manage our resources for food unequally. The obvious one is that, we focus on kind of food production instead of multi-food production. In the future, we might face with the scarcity of food if the soil or the climate does not support the kind of food we produce today.
To sum up, food production today cause many consequences concerning with new security and human rights. However, there are some alternative ways to better world environment and ecology.
Written By
Sai Tun Sar
B.A Social Sciences (International Program)
Chiang Mai University.
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