Michael Schmidt was a German photographer, whose last work, Lebensmittel, is an epic exploration of the global food industry. Lebensmittel, which roughly translates as 'foodstuff' took seven years to complete, with Schmidt travelling the globe to photograph factory farms, industrial slaughterhouses and supermarkets as well as single items like a mango wrapped in plastic. His work borders on a documentary, and the artist is guided here by his own curiosity and his ongoing investigation of the limits of photography – as well as  by political and social concerns.
The food industry in Lebensmittel is as mysterious as it is ruthlessly efficient, as intriguing as it is exploitative.
It is not a straightforward critique of the global industrialisation of food production, rather the artist's own visual commentary.