Fast Food Nation

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21 October 2014 Fast Food Industry: The Dark Side of Progress The fast food industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Fast food has been known to be a large area of investment involving food. Restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King have been known for their popularity mostly from advertisements and are highly rated to be the trademarks for the fast food industry. Eric Schlosser, in his book Fast Food Nation, presents an in depth analysis of the fast food industry, from its origin of Southern California to its ubiquitous manifestation of today's culture. The author analyses many aspects of this industry, from the inhumane treatment of the cattle in their feedlots to the overworked and underpaid employees at fast food restaurants. I believe that the fast food industry has used its political influence as a way of circumventing issues of health and working conditions, while greatly increasing profits and expansion. Although part of the industry's functions is to sell their products, I think the consumers play a large role in their profits to keep these restaurants in business. During a brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped transform not only the American diet, but also our countryside, economy, workforce, and popular culture. One of the parts of the American culture that are affected by the fast food industry, the idea of raising our children comes to mind. According to the book the fast food industry looks at our children as a means of making money, and companies provide ‘“Cradle-to-grave’” strategies to attract young customers (Schlosser 5). The effects of McDonalds and other fast food chains affect children for life. For example, “a survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald, the only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition is Santa Claus. The impact of McDonald’s

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