# Rotten
**Rotten** is an American investigative documentary series on Netflix that examines corruption, fraud, and danger in the global food supply chain, with each episode devoted to a single food or ingredient. It was produced by Zero Point Zero Production, the company behind [Anthony Bourdain](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-bourdain)'s *Parts Unknown*, and ran for two seasons of six episodes each, the first in January 2018 and the second in 2019.[1](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Netflix original documentary series, 2 seasons of 6 episodes, roughly 55 minutes each[1](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption) • [3](https://www.netflixation.com/post/rotten-netflix-shows-truth-about-food) |
| Release | Season 1 premiered January 5, 2018; season 2 in 2019[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80146284?fromWatch=true&source=35) |
| Production | Zero Point Zero Production; lead researcher Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan oversaw a team of four investigative reporters[1](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption) • [5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) |
| Narrator | Latif Nasser; director Ben Cotner[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten) |
| Season 1 subjects | Honey, garlic, poultry, milk, peanuts, and the cod industry[6](https://www.cuisine.co.nz/rotten/) |
| Season 2 subjects | Avocados, wine, bottled water, sugar, chocolate, and cannabis edibles[4](https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80146284?fromWatch=true&source=35) |
| Recognition | Season 2 earned an Emmy nomination and a James Beard award for investigative reporting[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) |
| Critical reception | 86% average Tomatometer score from 7 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten) |
## Spoilers
### Episodes
**Season 1 (2018).** The opening episode, "Lawyers, Guns and Honey," covers the global honey industry and one of the largest food fraud cases in history, a scam known as Honeygate.[9](https://readysteadycut.com/2018/01/05/review-netflix-rotten/) • [7](https://www.salon.com/2018/01/15/contamination-and-corruption-are-at-the-heart-of-rotten-a-new-netflix-documentary-about-food/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten) The remaining five episodes cover the international garlic trade, poultry farming, milk, peanuts, and the cod industry.[6](https://www.cuisine.co.nz/rotten/) One installment follows two chicken farmers in [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina) searching for whoever tampered with electrical units and killed thousands of their chickens; Eater recommended it as the single episode to watch.[10](https://www.mashed.com/481044/why-foodies-should-watch-netflixs-documentary-rotten/)
**Season 2 (2019).** The six episodes are "The Avocado War," on cartels drawn to the lucrative avocado crop; "Reign of Terroir," on French winegrowers resisting cheap Spanish imports and new Chinese competition; "Troubled Water," on bottled water companies drawing on public water supplies; "A Sweet Deal," on the sugar industry; "Bitter Chocolate," on the cocoa supply chain; and "High on Edibles," on the risks of the fast-changing cannabis food market.[4](https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80146284?fromWatch=true&source=35)
## Origin
The series grew out of print journalism. In December 2014, Christine Haughney, then a reporter on The New York Times media desk and later a food policy reporter at Politico, left her staff job to consult with Zero Point Zero Production on developing a series about crimes in the food world.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) • [7](https://www.salon.com/2018/01/15/contamination-and-corruption-are-at-the-heart-of-rotten-a-new-netflix-documentary-about-food/) In June 2015 the project launched as a web series called *Food Crimes* on Food Republic, a partner site of the production company; its four episodes and accompanying articles drew media attention and YouTube views.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) Netflix purchased *Food Crimes* in 2016 and turned it into *Rotten*.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten)
During production, Haughney Dare-Bryan oversaw a team of four investigative reporters who developed all six episodes of the first season from original idea through post-production.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) Netflix commissioned a second season by the summer of 2018.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten)
## Approach
Each episode applies the methods of investigative and true-crime storytelling to one food. The series examines dishonest food companies, flawed government regulations, and the consequences of questionable international trade practices, interviewing farmers, fishermen, scientists, doctors, and consumers from both sides of the issues raised.[8](https://www.greenmatters.com/food/2018/01/18/earkm/netflix-doc-rotten) • [1](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption) Reviewers noted that its storytelling is grounded in facts, with many stories drawn from newspaper headlines and commentary from the people who lived through the incidents, alongside doctors and scientists from universities and government organizations.[1](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption)
The show's stated aim is to illuminate the "intersection between food and crime," and it does not lecture viewers about their food choices; the intent is to inform audiences about unethical or illegal behavior in the system that supplies their food.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) • [8](https://www.greenmatters.com/food/2018/01/18/earkm/netflix-doc-rotten)
## Reception
Season 1 holds an 86% average Tomatometer score from 7 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 59% average Popcornmeter score from more than 50 audience ratings.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten) Critics described it as a sober, fact-based series closer to Netflix's true-crime originals than to advocacy food documentaries, targeting corporations, regulators, retailers, distributors, and restaurateurs alike.[9](https://readysteadycut.com/2018/01/05/review-netflix-rotten/) The second season earned an Emmy nomination and a [James Beard](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-beard) award for investigative reporting, and Haughney Dare-Bryan's reporting on the avocado industry specifically earned a James Beard award and an Emmy nomination.[5](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten) The series has also circulated internationally; a 2024 academic presentation on food fraud noted that *Rotten* was translated into many languages and shown on Netflix.[11](https://www.spmf.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_02_14_Phipps_BordeauxPP2024.pdf)
## References
1. [A Guide to Watching 'Rotten' on Netflix, Eater (Greg Morabito, January 12, 2018)](https://www.eater.com/2018/1/12/16866954/rotten-netflix-food-corruption)
2. [Rotten, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rotten)
3. [Rotten on Netflix Shows the Truth About What We Eat, Netflixation](https://www.netflixation.com/post/rotten-netflix-shows-truth-about-food)
4. [Rotten, Netflix official site](https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80146284?fromWatch=true&source=35)
5. [Rotten | Discover Food Crimes Today, Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan](https://www.christinehaughney.com/rotten)
6. [Rotten, Cuisine Magazine (Thomas Heaton)](https://www.cuisine.co.nz/rotten/)
7. [Contamination and corruption are at the heart of "Rotten," Salon (Tom Roston, January 15, 2018)](https://www.salon.com/2018/01/15/contamination-and-corruption-are-at-the-heart-of-rotten-a-new-netflix-documentary-about-food/)
8. [Netflix's 'Rotten' Doc Series Tackles Corruption In The Food Industry, Green Matters](https://www.greenmatters.com/food/2018/01/18/earkm/netflix-doc-rotten)
9. [Rotten Season 1 Review, Ready Steady Cut (Jonathon Wilson, January 5, 2018)](https://readysteadycut.com/2018/01/05/review-netflix-rotten/)
10. [Why Foodies Should Watch Netflix's Documentary Rotten, Mashed (Felix Behr)](https://www.mashed.com/481044/why-foodies-should-watch-netflixs-documentary-rotten/)
11. [Media Attention to Food Fraud, Phipps presentation, SPMF (February 2024)](https://www.spmf.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_02_14_Phipps_BordeauxPP2024.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Documentary, docudrama, and lifestyle series › True crime and investigative docuseries › Premiered 2006 to 2022*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license