Of Chicken Coops and Oscar Luncheons: The Story of Food, Inc.

by Elise Pearlstein | Published February 23, 2010

Days after we filmed at Carole Morison’s chicken farm in Pocomoke, Maryland, our production van was still swarming with flies attracted by all the chicken poop we had tracked in on our shoes. Sitting inside a ballroom at a Beverly Hills hotel with 120 other Oscar nominees, Carole’s farm seemed very far away. But it’s because people like Carole Morison were willing to participate in Food, Inc. that I was sitting at that luncheon at all. Carole let us into her life and, unlike many people we asked, she let us inside her farming operation. She knew that going on camera could be risky for her, but she was ready to speak out. She told a powerful story about losing her independence as a farmer, about raising animals in a way that felt wrong to her but that seemed to be her only option. Today, Carole is no longer farming, and her future is uncertain.

Food, Inc. was the most challenging and most rewarding documentary I’ve ever produced. Director Robert Kenner started with a simple idea: To tell the story of how our food gets to the table, from different points of view. We approached many of the large food companies and asked them to participate in the film, but most said no. Some wanted a promise that the film would be positive, others were just not interested in engaging at all. We quickly realized that this lack of transparency was key to this story, but it presented a moviemaking challenge. We felt it was important for the audience to know about the resistance we encountered, but we did not want to turn the cameras on ourselves and become part of the film. Ultimately, we decided to use simple text on screen to state when a company had chosen not to participate. We also structured the film to reflect the discovery process we went through. We built to the revelation that this is a story not just about food, but really about power and influence. It’s about threats to free speech and the free dissemination of information about what we put in our bodies every day. And it’s a story that impacts us all.

To me, making documentaries is the best job in the world. I love what I do, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do it. People entrust you with their stories, and you try your best to do them justice. Sometimes you fail, and it feels terrible. But when you do succeed, the film can bring attention and opportunity to your subjects that they couldn’t have had otherwise. Many of the people in Food, Inc. have told us that we did right by them, and that is truly rewarding. We also know now that the film has had an impact, from being featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to being screened by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The Oscar nomination is the ultimate icing on the cake, and it means that Food, Inc.’s message will hopefully spread further. On March 7, the evening of the Oscar telecast, I’m going to be thinking about all of the people who participated in this film, who shared their stories, their knowledge and their vision. The film would not exist without them.

Elise Pearlstein is the writer-producer of the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc.. For more info on the film, visit www.foodincmovie.com.

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Comment by foodhealer on 2/23/10 at 1:43 pm

As someone who teaches about food and eating well I say a huge thank you for having the guts to make this film and to make it honestly!
I make all my clients watch Food Inc. It’s a wonderful tool and encourager to eat better. Thank you and I’ll be rooting for you at the Oscars.
foodhealer.com

Comment by Devan on 2/23/10 at 4:06 pm

This movie was SUPERB! I’m an expat living in Oz....When will u release it in Australia? I feel the same is happening her maybe to a smaller extent but everyone in the world should have this to view to think about where their food comes from.

Comment by Kim on 3/13/10 at 3:47 am

Thank you so much for this film. I too am an expat, a US citizen living in Kashmir, northern India. Where I am, it’s the old way - vegetable markets with fresh from the garden produce, oranges from the south that aren’t the gargantuan grapefruit sized ones in the US, chickens that look like they should, not the overblown artificially enhanced poor things stuffed with antibiotics & growth hormones. Free ranging chicken that tastes...well, like CHICKEN. Grass fed sheep, fresh unadulterated milk right from the cow.

People in the US think I am putting mine & my childrens’ lives at horrible risk by eating such “raw” food in India, but I must tell everyone - we’re healthier than we’ve ever been. The food here is tasty, inexpensive, and truly good for you. I don’t know how we survived the poison we ate in the US, but after watching “Food, Inc.”, I am grateful we’re no longer doing so.

Comment by chicken coops on 5/06/10 at 4:56 am

I have seen the movie and it explains how the country’s food industry works. Much more is to be done for the benefit of American farmers.

Comment by food on 6/03/10 at 11:07 pm

Hi.Nice and interesting story thanks for sharing it. Really it is very informative movie and teach how the country’s food industry works.

Comment by hürriyet ilan on 6/03/11 at 5:26 am

“To me, making documentaries is the best job in the world. I love what I do, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do it. People entrust you with their stories, and you try your best to do them justice. Sometimes you fail, and it feels terrible. But when you do succeed, the film can bring attention and opportunity to your subjects that they couldn’t have had otherwise. Many of the people in Food, Inc. have told us that we did right by them, and that is truly rewarding. We also know now that the film has had an impact, from being featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to being screened by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The Oscar nomination is the ultimate icing on the cake, and it means that Food, Inc.’s message will hopefully spread further. On March 7, the evening of the Oscar telecast, I’m going to be thinking about all of the people who participated in this film, who shared their stories, their knowledge and their vision. The film would not exist without them.”

Comment by restaurant wholesale supply on 6/30/11 at 9:08 am

Food Inc. was a brilliant documentary about how food is produced in the USA. No wonder 40% of the population have weight problems there; practically they all eat fast food. They call it evolution I call it stupidity. I own a restaurant and I am trying to get the best ingredients that I can for my cooks but everything is unnatural nowadays.