Food, Inc. Discussion Guide - TakePart

• The mother says, “Sometimes it feels like industry was more protected thanmy son.” What do you think of her words?• Thinking back on our discussion, who are all the parties we identified? Whichof them did we think were responsible, at least in part, for Kevin’s death?• Do we have the right to assume that our food is safe? If so, who do you thinkshould be responsible for ensuring its safety?R e f l e c t i o n• Ask students to imagine that they are charged with making sure a death likeKevin’s never happens again. What steps would they take to ensure it doesn’t?• Point out to students that feeding cattle cheap and abundant corn seemedlike a good idea when people started doing it, but it had some unintendedconsequences. Ask students to write about a situation at home, school, orin your community when something that started as a solution created moreproblems than existed in the first place.I d e a s f o r A c t i o n• Encourage students to find out more about Kevin’s Law and its status(Kevin’s Law is formally called the Meat and Poultry Pathogen Reductionand Enforcement Act). Have them check the Center for Foodborne Illnesswebsite, www.foodborneillness.org, to learn about recent efforts to curb E. colicontamination.• Invite students to consider whether there is a rule at their school or in theircommunity that they would want changed. What specific change would theywant to see? Who has the authority to make that change? What is the process4 3F o o d , I n c . D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E© P a r t i c i p a n t M e d i a