Nation Betrayed by Fast Food
Fast Food Nation
Millions of Americans and immigrants suffer from fast-food lifestyle
Another issue with fast food are food pathogens that often flourish with the unskilled employees in meat packaging plant as well as the carelessness of the predominantly adolescent or uneducated workers. Food pathogens are types of indigestible and harmful bacteria. Some food pathogens such as ecoli, 7H7 and others are known for causing horrible and painful deaths that attach the neuro regions of the body, often giving the victim heart attacks or shutting down the liver or other issues with internal organs. Often, fast food companies don't do as much as they could to stop these legal and painful food pathogens. For example, in 2007, Jack in the Box almost went out of business because they did not cook their hamburger patties as well as they should have to destroy pathogens. Given that children often eat from fast food restaurants more than adults, many children died from this outbreak or harmed from other pathogen related outbreaks. Even if someone does not die from these pathogens, they may become disabled. This is a sad result of fast food restaurants not doing what they should to prevent pathogens in their food products.
Another problem with the fast food industry is their blatant and shameful advertising to children. All across Cartoon Network and Disney Channel, there are fast food commercials. These commercials appeal to children in their use of cartoons, toys, and bright colors. Just walking into a fast food restaurant, such as McDonalds, there are different mascots and toys, and collectibles that seduce children into buying these foods. In addition, many of these fast food restaurants have play structures as part of their allure. Even in many schools across the nation, fast food is advertised as a way for the school to raise funds. Fast food products are often sold instead of healthy alternatives. You may wonder why the fast food industry targets children. It is because the companies know that habits and brand loyalty begin with children as young as two years old. The companies are hoping for life-long customers. It is not too much to say that the fast food industry will own these people from the cradle to the grave, however early the grave may be.
With children and the poor as the targets for the fast food industry, as well as the pathogens and the mistreatment of workers at the meat packaging plants, there is a perfect storm betraying our nation.
The Fast Food Industry is killing our Nation
“The medical literature on the causes of food poisoning is full of euphemisms and dry scientific terms: coliform levels, aerobic plate counts, sorbitol, MacConkey agar, and so on. Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat.” ― Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. this picture shows the effects on people from health issues and food pathogens. this is a "Big Idea" in Fast Food Nation.
"Unhappy Meals"
Companies like McDonalds who had been prevented from advertising to children during the hours of school up until recently now jump on the opportunities to put Happy Meals in the cafeteria"Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation. this quote talks about how the fast food industry targets their advertising to children and how they are increasingly advertising in school cafeterias.
The Fast Food Industry is Targeting All Generations for Life-long Loyalty
"The history of the twentieth century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The twenty-first will no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power.” ― Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. this picture is talking about how the fast food industry is bad for america in that it harms the health of many and advertises on children at a young age. this picture represents this theme in the book.