Is Poisoned on Netflix worth the hype?

There is a new documentary on Netflix and to be honest, I expected it to become just as much of a hype as, for example, The Game Changers, What The Health, or Cowspiracy. When those documentaries came out, I heard quite a lot around me that people were going to give a vegan lifestyle a chance; those documentaries made such an impression. Yes, Netflix always knows how to get something across to their viewers.

I expected the same from Poisoned, the new documentary that is now online. And there is indeed a lot of buzz on the internet, so yesterday I decided to sit down and watch it myself. Is Poisoned really worth all the hype?

To be completely honest: no. It is definitely an interesting documentary (and it's refreshing that this time it’s about thinking twice before buying that lettuce, although there is so little food left that is still okay after all those documentaries), but it didn’t really resonate with me. And there’s a very simple reason for that: it’s so American.

I’m used to that American style from Netflix by now (The Game Changers was also very much like that), but the events in Poisoned are really only focused on America. The outbreak of E. coli in 1993 that affected the entire country, the huge number of people who still get sick every year, the lax rules that producers have to follow… Especially the latter is really quite different in the Netherlands, and that’s why it couldn’t hold my interest. It’s unfortunate that everything is so poorly regulated in America (but honestly: are we really that surprised?), but this is simply not applicable to us.

So final verdict: is it worth the hype? Personally, I don’t think so. It’s an interesting documentary, well put together and visually (very beautiful and striking), but unless you live in America, have lived there, or have a huge fascination for food, I fear it won’t resonate with you either.