Introduction Oligopolies, although regulated, continue to grow in power and wealth due to common American misconceptions. Americans believe that, "when three or four firms pursue identical practices...the market is 'competitive' and everything is fine" (Wu). Americans are simply blinded by branding. Big companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Ford are popular, known for their distinguishable brands, and display oligopolistic behavior by controlling a large portion of the market. In the meatpacking industry, the biggest companies, "ConAgra, IBP, Excel, and National Beef- slaughter about 84 percent of the nation's cattle" (Schlosser).
Schlosser tends to represent the theory stressing the importance of interdependence among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system, as can be seen from how he connects fast food to other social processes and institutions. The icon that represents fast food culture for most people is McDonald's, though the fast food culture developed long before the creation of that restaurant chain. Schlosser considers the impact of such fast-food chains but also
I believe that we are taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity and that it is an individual’s responsibility to take the blame. The first fast food restaurants developed in America in the 1920’s and the United States has grown to have the largest fast food industry in the world. Currently one third of American children are obese or at risk of becoming obese and 67% of Americans are obese. McDonald’s was invented in the 1940’s and has since acquired millions of lawsuits for their extremely unhealthy food. Burger King soon followed in the 50’s and has also received its fair share of lawsuits.
Thus, the earlier people recognize the damage fast food is doing to our society, the easier it will be to reverse its harm. There are endless accusations that fast food and its effect on our society is the sole cause of many problems within the U.S. Fingers are pointing at the large fast food companies, but can they be proven guilty? The answer is no, and this can be proven within many lawsuits against companies such as McDonalds and taco bell. They all end up in the same ruling that its the consumers choice to enter a fast food establishment and consume their products.
The company has successfully used its retail meat unit by selling similar meats to its foodservice customers. The retail meat has seen increases in sales and operating income. Sara Lee is the market leader in retail breads in the U.S., trailing Kraft within the meat sector. Fresh bread sales jumped more than $600 million within 3 years due to the leverage Sara Lee had with grocery stores to increase shelf space for its product line. The foodservice industry provides Sara Lee the ability to use its meats in restaurants and fast-food restaurants.
Ritzer defines the globalisation of McDonald’s as McDonaldisation. This process is not only dominating American society but also the rest of the world. Ritzer believes that, McDonaldisation is an unstoppable process which has shown every sign of taking over impervious institutions such as religion and regions of the world such as France. Paris has many fast-food croissanteries and their signature breads have been McDonaldised. This example shows the effects McDonaldisation has on society and culture because, the French like fine cuisine which means fast food is not there great option.
According to internet research, Americans spend more than $110 billion a year on the fast food. So obviously the only good thing I think that comes out of fast food restaurants is that since it is a growing epidemic, results would be more people employed. On the other hand, more and more fast food places would be everywhere, making it easier for people to succumb to the temptation of the delicious fast food. The truth of the matter is, fast food is killing us slowly. Do yourself and fellow Americans a favor and don’t eat at such lousy food places.
External Environment, cont. Suggested: High - Many rivals compete in the fast food business. Convincing customers that menu items are different or better than competitors is difficult when the food category is limited to take-out options. Substitutes Threat Med-High Suggested: Med-High – Major substitute is home cooking - it’s easy to make a burger on the home grill. Suppliers’ Power Low Suggested: Low - Suppliers of beef, eggs, potatoes have little power.
Infants because of their dependence and need of care suffer from being left alone or with insufficient caregivers. They often go to bed hungry and wake up to little or no food resulting in health complications. Many of these children have mental disorders and delays due to lack of nutrition leaving them hurt for life. Proper nutrition and socialization is vital for proper development of infants and toddlers. Many families in the United States suffer from lack of job stability.
ENC 1101 09/23/11 Negative aspects of McDonald’s on Teenagers Fast foods have become increasingly popular among Americans, including teenagers. Due to increased advertising and the Americans' fast-paced lifestyle, fast food restaurants have raised exponentially, becoming multi-millionaire industries and harming the health of their consumers. A regular meal at McDonald's consists of a Big Mac, large fries, and a large Coca-Cola drink, all this combined goes up to 1,430 calories. A diet of approximately 2,000 calories is considered a healthy amount of calories for an entire day. This may vary depending on several factors such as age, weight, height, physical activity and gender.