In today’s world, a majority of consumers pick something off a shelf at the grocery store without thinking about where and how the item was produced. The thought of processing and complex genetic modification seldom crosses a consumer’s mind especially when it comes to food, a basic necessity of life. Food, being one of three man’s basic needs, is probably the last thing to be thought of as being modified in any way .As difficult as it may be to acknowledge the combination of food and research science it is the reality which many consumers are unaware of. The Future of Food, a documentary made in 2004 presents its audience, today’s consumer, with hidden truths about the production of food in a credible way. By interviewing people who have credentials and are knowledgeable about the topic, presenting real-life cases, and using a narrative style, Director Deborah Koons
Garcia meets the purpose of informing consumers of where their food comes from and therefore effectively makes an ethical appeal to the audience. To establish credibility, the documentary includes interviews with people who are knowledgeable and have credentials in the area of food.
Several of the individuals interviewed are researchers, directors, and ecologists. The first interview is with Andrew Kimbrell, an executive director of the Center for Food Safety. His title with the Center for
Food Safety carries weight and works to build his ethos. He is viewed as a person in authority and therefore gains the audience’s attention.
Kimbrell talks about the controversial issue of patenting live organisms. He states facts about Monsanto’s patenting of seeds and the creation of monopolies on certain plants. The second interview is with
Dr. Charles Benbrook, former director of the Board on Agriculture.
Like Kimbrell, his title along with the Board on Agriculture makes an ethical appeal to the audience. The rest of the interviews are with researchers and ecologists who have command over the science behind genetic modification. They make reasonable claims that are backed up with evidence, making them seem trustworthy to the audience. The documentary not only establishes credibility by interviewing people who have credentials, but also by presenting real life cases. A