The COVID-19 pandemic exposes the broken food system in the United States in Food and Country. Mass agriculture in the United States is based on how cheap food can be produced. As the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold, farmers are expected to continue planting as if everything is returning to normal. New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl reaches out to expose how broken the American food system is.
Food and Country Synopsis
Food and Country is a documentary directed by Laura Gabbert (City of Gold) about the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the American food system. The film was shot right as the pandemic was at its peak in 2020. Hence the film relies predominantly on Zoom interviews, as Gabbert follows food critic Ruth Reichl as she investigates the fate of small farmers, ranchers, and chefs, who are expected to produce food fast and cheaply.
My Thoughts on Food and Country
Food and Country bring up some interesting points, such as the current food system originated in the 1950s advertising promising to make cooking quick and convenient. American food production has become industrialized with a loss of 40% in nutritional value in the produced food. As eye-opening a documentary Food and Country is in terms of its information and content, the film’s COVID-shot aesthetic of people talking through computer screens does leave a bit to be desired. However, Food and Country is still worth checking out to see how food shows us our values as human beings.