Fast Food Nation.doc

The Fast Food NationIn the book- “The Fast Food Nation”, the book author Eric Schlosser has examined the international influences of the United States fast food industry. This book was first published in 2001 and was consequently adapted into the film by Richard Linklater with the same name. This report will firstly review the book in each chapter and then put forward the effects of this book to the fast food industry from the authors point of views.It cant be denied that most people like fast food because it taste pretty good convenient, however, what the people may not know about is on the dark side of the good taste is the chemical that has little nutrition which could harmful for our health, especially for children. In the first section, the author introduced the concept of “The American Way” of food industry in the United States that hard working businessmen and employees are the loyal customers who gave fast food a permanent circumstance to develop and created a special eating culture in the cars. In the United States, fast food restaurants are everywhere with almost identical appearance in the street, strip malls and subdivisions. In chapter two, Schlosser analyzed the attractive reasons of the fast food industry to the children and adults. So far as the author was concerned, the appeal of the fast food stems from the toys and mascots in peoples childhood. Psychologically, advertisers seized the charm of the cartoon characters, promoting the fast food chains by some major toy crazes such as Pokemon and Beanie Babies. Similarly, some cash-strapped schools have started promoting fast foods brand names of companies. In the interests of all parties that driven by money, more and more advertisements of the fast food emerged in school buses and even rooftops. Schlosser also considered the fast food as “your trusted friends” to explain the important position in peoples minds. In chapter three, the author described the working conditions of the people who prepared the fast food meals. Under the guiding principles of “obedience”, the kids usually work with electronic blades and hot oil at low salary for long time every day. There is no job securities and benefit for them and most of them dropped out of high schools because of being too disgusted with the homework. On the other hand, Schlosser pointed out that most of those came from low-income families and they are usually easier to become social unstable factors such as armed robbery, violent crimes and murder. The last chapter of the first section is titled “success” which talks about the aspects of starting the business of fast food restaurants. For example, if you want to open a franchisee and join into McDonalds Corporation, you should be required to meet all strict regulations of every aspects of restaurant. The author pays sympathy to these franchisees because there was no creativity in their business, in addition, they have to give up the legal right to present their complains by sign an unfair contract. Section two is starting from how fast food is produced. Based on the chapter four, a large number of lawsuits by vegetarians that against McDonalds Corporation concerning about why the fries taste pretty good which, it was found out the reason that beef flavor was added into the fried before frying. A series of details about “Meat and Potatoes” were presented in this chapter, firstly, today a large number of frozen fresh fries was eat by people in American, secondly, in the United States, three giant potato processing companies continued to pressure prices to potato farmers and consequently, potato farmers must buy modern harvesting equipment by taking out huge loans or leave the business. The farmers just earn little profit today and most family farms are now being instead by huge and company owned farms. Traditional farmers lost their land and a new style of feudal system is appeared. In the next chapter, with mass food technology is introduced, meatpacking a few firms and chicken growers have monopolized the fast food industry and exerted their influences over a large number of independent ranchers-most of the independent ranchers gone out of their business. In chapter seven and eight, Schlosser tragically describes how workers were pushed to work quickly and there is almost no rest and medical service for injured employees in the slaughterhouses. Chapter nine “whats in the meat” that depicted the meat contamination is dangerous for people. There were nearly 200,000 people are sickened by foodborne disease every day in the United States. This issue should be took into considerations because it is E coli is that important pathogenic factor and it is increasingly caused by meat as a result of unsanitary slaughterhouse conditions and overcrowded feedlots. Typically, cows eta their own waste and potentially diseased animals. Chapter ten, “Global Realization” described the exploring international market of fast food throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. The opening of fast food restaurants required the reorganizing the supply network of agricultural. Many fast food related diseases is formed by high-fat and Americanized style diet such as heart disease, colon cancer and breast cancer. In this chapter, the author has properly gave the evidence of the price of a hamburger does not reflect the true cost of fast food. The last section “Have it your way” provided many healthy alternatives to customers. Nowadays, the dark sides of fast food has increasingly gained attentions from people, more and more organic farms and beautiful feeding environment were adopted by fast food ranchers, in such feeding conditions such as Colorado, cows roam freely and eat primarily grass, which was in order to cut down the source of fast food related diseases. A restaurant called the Red Top was supplied by this kind of farm, wherein the fried and hamburgers were homemade and employees were treated like family members. Its business is booming because of the healthy food sources and good customer services while the Wendys restaurant was terrible which was just located opposite of the Red Top. In this book, the author examined the fast food from a very negative light to the social and focusing the fast food related diseases could threaten the life of the people. Many people, especially in the eyes of the children, all kinds of different flavor of fast food is the pronoun of delicious. However, nutritionists gave a nickname to fast food - junk food . A lot of researches show that the root causes of many rich diseases in developed countries were the long-term damage of high quantity of heat, high fat, and high in protein. Of course that more and more giant fast food companies have recognized the dangers of traditional fast food both for customers and employees. McDonalds and Coca-Cola pointed out that if consumers can balance their daily diet and lifestyle, their food wont produce negative influence to health problems. McDonalds executive director of New Zealand Grainne Troute says that food choice depends on the individual factors. And the real solution is to providing correct information to consumers rather than introduc