
The Future of Food
Genetically engineered crops entered the American food supply in the 1990s with almost no public debate, and this film asks why so few consumers noticed. Director Deborah Koons Garcia traces the story from patented seeds developed by agribusiness companies to the unlabeled soy, corn, and canola derivatives that end up on grocery store shelves, so that most shoppers eat modified food without ever choosing to. The film interviews farmers, scientists, and food industry figures about what happens when a handful of corporations own the genetic code for staple crops, and what that ownership means for cross-contamination, seed saving, and lawsuits against growers whose fields were pollinated by patented plants without their consent. It sets this corporate consolidation against the health and environmental questions that engineered crops raise, from herbicide use to unknown long-term effects, and argues that the lack of labeling has left consumers unable to weigh in on any of it. The case rests on documents and interviews rather than dramatization.