Food, Inc.
Viewing guide (2008, 94 min)
While you watch this documentary, take notes on each of the following questions (presented in order).
DAY 1 (Scenes 1-4; first 38 minutes of film)
INTRODUCTION
1. What is perhaps misleading about the “image of food” in Supermarkets today?
FAST FOOD to ALL FOOD (5 – 17 min)
2. What are some ethical issues that arise from the way Tyson (and similar companies) has shaped chicken farming.
Which of their practices, if any, do you feel are morally wrong?
3. Many chicken farmers are currently trapped in a moral dilemma. Why is there no easy right answer for many of
these farmers?
A CORNucopia of CHOICES (17 min – 39 min)
4. Is the illusion of diversity in supermarkets today unethical or is it just good marketing?
5. Do you see anything wrong with the ubiquitous nature of corn in America? If yes, describe.
6. Do you see any ethical issues associated with raising livestock in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations)? Explain.
7. Many of the images seen of raising beef in CAFOs may be disturbing to watch. Is it because what they’re doing
is unethical, or is it because we just don’t really want to know how our food is produced? Would it be equally
disturbing to watch a hunter shooting an animal in the wild for consumption? Does it matter how the cattle are
raised if we are ultimately raising them to be slaughtered? Does it make a difference how animals are killed? Is
there a humane way to kill an animal? Respond in writing to at least one of these questions.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
8. Feeding corn to cattle has introduced E. coli into their stomachs. As you will see in the segment about Kevin’s
Law, this has led to a number of deaths and therefore many believe that this practice is unethical and wrong.
Justify a possible counterargument to this claim.
DAY 2 (Scenes 5 – 7, minute 38 to 1:06 – middle 28 minutes of film)
THE DOLLAR MENU
9. How, if at all, should the government subsidize the food industry to control prices? What are some possible
counterarguments to your claim?
IN THE GRASS
10. How are the images of Joel Salatin’s farm different than those of the CAFOs seen earlier in this documentary? Is
it equally disturbing to watch these animals being killed? Explain.
11. Respond to Joel Salatin’s statement below:
I'm always struck by how successful we have been at hitting the bull's-eye of the wrong target. I mean we have learned,
for example, in cattle we have learned how to-- how to plant, fertilize and harvest corn using global positioning satellite
technology, and nobody sits back and asks "But should we be feeding cows corn?" We've become a culture of
technicians. We're all into-- we're all into the how of it and nobody's stepping back and saying "But why?"
12. What conflicts, if any, between what is legal and what is ethical came to light during the segment in Smithfield
hog farms in Tar Heel, North Carolina?
HIDDEN COSTS
13. Large companies have been acquiring small organic companies. Unless the consumer regularly reads up on
business acquisions, they may never know about this; the food labels and “brand names” often remain
unaltered. Is this ethical, or is this an acceptable level of deception (or is it even deceiving) for the consumer?
14. Using Wal-Mart as an example, how do you vote with your dollars?
DAY 3 (Scenes 8 – 12; 1:06 – 1:34; last 28 minutes of film)
From SEED to the SUPERMARKET
15. As you will learn in the Monsanto segment, it is now legal to patent life. Is it moral? Is it ethical? Is there a
difference between these two terms?
The VEIL
16. The film reveals that Monsanto has connections to Clarence Thomas, and various politicians (even at the
presidential level). Is it ethical for company shareholders to make regulating decisions?
17. The food industry fought against labeling calories, country of origin and trans-fat content. Now they argue that
labeling GMF (genetically modified foods) would create unnecessary panic since there is no conclusive evidence
of negative effects. Should GMF labeling be required?
18. Michael Pollan stated, “I think it’s one of the most important battles for consumers to fight… the right to know
what’s in their food and how it was grown. Not only do they not want you to know what’s in it; they have
managed to make it against the law to criticize their products.” Do the veggie libel laws create any conflicts
between what is legal and what is ethical? Should people expose or inform others of the transgressions of the
food industry because it affects people directly, or should these companies have the right to sue (as they do)?
SHOCKS to THE SYSTEM & Power of the CONSUMER
19. Science has made genetic engineering possible. Is it ethical? Does it matter if it is a plant or an animal?
20. How, if at all, has the new knowledge you have gained from this documentary changed the way you will eat? Is
it better knowing what you now know, or was it better not knowing? Was ignorance bliss?
21. What are some biases of this documentary? What information, if any, presented in this film are you still
skeptical of?
Food, Inc.
Follow-up discussion
The following questions are directly from the ethics section of the IB subject guide for TOK. With examples from Food,
Inc. in mind, discuss the following questions.

Are there ethical obligations for humanity to treat the natural environment in a certain way? Are there
constraints? If so, are the obligations and constraints based solely on a concern for the indirect effects on
humanity, or are there other issues and principles involved?

When confronted by an unjust situation, is a person obliged to act? If the unjust situation is in the context of
friendship or family, does this make a difference? Should this make a difference? Are there ethical constraints
on the actions that a person should take to “right a wrong”?

Does politics affect the ethics of a society?

Is there an obligation on an individual to be politically aware, or even politically active? Conversely, is there an
obligation on an individual to refrain from political action? Can one avoid being affected by politics?

What is the influence of politics on other areas of knowledge, such as the natural and human sciences, history,
and the arts? What, conversely, might be the influence of these other areas of knowledge on politics?

Should research be subject to ethical principles, or is the pursuit of knowledge through research intrinsically
worthwhile and, of itself, value-free? Do some areas of knowledge (mathematics? natural science?) create
knowledge that is more value-free than others (human science? history?)?

What ethical responsibilities do researchers have when they are working with human subjects? In what ways do
these differ from the ethical responsibilities they have when working with animals?

Are there some types of knowledge that should not be sought on ethical grounds?

Does the possession of knowledge carry an ethical responsibility?
Related information and links: http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php