‘Food, Inc. 2’ Finds Frustration, and a Little Hope, in Revisiting Our Food System

The creators of the groundbreaking 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.” didn’t intend to make a sequel. Having exposed a broken, harmful food system dominated by corporate giants, they believed they’d done their part.

Sixteen years later, with “Food, Inc. 2”, they return with a film prompted by unforeseen circumstances like the pandemic, which further highlighted the fragility of our food chain. Filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo realize that consumer choices, while important, are just not enough to overturn entrenched industry practices.

Like its predecessor, the film opens with a deceptively idyllic scene of a tractor traversing a field – a reminder that even as we see a greater hunger for healthier food today, many of the same issues persist. We still witness assembly lines, brutal factory farming, and workers earning meager wages.

Authors Michael Pollan (“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”) and Eric Schlosser (“Fast Food Nation”) return as commentators, offering a sobering analysis. A mere handful of food corporations remain in charge, revealing themselves starkly during the pandemic’s supply chain disruptions and empty shelves.

From Florida to Wisconsin, the film weaves together voices of farmworkers, nutritionists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and more. In Immokalee, Florida, Gerardo Reyes Chavez highlights the exploitation of immigrant farmworkers, central to the food we buy.

Compelling graphics illustrate corporate consolidation, showing shocking levels of market dominance in sectors like baby food and soft drinks. Farmers like Sarah Lloyd struggle to compete against mega-farms housing thousands of animals. Meanwhile, nutrition experts decry the sheer ubiquity of food and ever-increasing portion sizes.

The specter of “ultra-processed” foods looms, linked to rising global diabetes rates. Experiments by the National Institutes of Health demonstrate subjects unwittingly consuming 500 more calories a day on such diets.

‘Food Inc 2.’ explores the rise of plant-based substitutes, but with the caveat that these don’t automatically translate to healthy choices. More promising are innovators like ocean farmer Bren Smith, cultivating kelp as a sustainable food source.

Perhaps its most vital message is a reminder that individual choices alone aren’t the solution. While “Food, Inc.” spurred consumer awareness, this sequel highlights the need for systemic change. There’s reason for both frustration and hope, and the film skillfully shows us why.