The Fast-Food Industry - Case Study Example

THE ADVАNTАGЕS AND DISАDVАNTАGЕS OF FAST FООD (JUNK FООD) AND WHAT THE USА AND THE UK GОVЕRNMЕNTS DO TO RЕDUСЕ THEIR EFFЕСT by Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Professor Date 1.0 Introduction Fast food industry is among the top industries that are developing at an alarming rate across multiple countries (Schaefer 2006). More than 12000 McDonald’s in the United States of America and over 80 branches in many other countries, such as the UK, is a clear reflection of how the popularity of fast food is increasing all over the world. The term fast food describes itself; the food is prepared and served quickly. This type of food suits perfectly for a first-paced individual working in today’s demanding workplaces in terms of time. Fast food is convenient to a busy individual working in a city miles away from home. However, Dunn (2008) notes that fast food has adverse effect on people’s health and is linked to the increasing rates of obesity especially in school-aged children. The research therefore will look into the advantages and disadvantages of fast food and the actions that the USA and the UK governments have taken to reduce their effect. 2.0 Main Body Section A: Advantages of Fast Food 1) Fast food saves time The number one evident advantage of fast food is that it saves time (DeMaria, 2003). Due to competition, today’s workplaces have become so demanding in terms of timer. As such, ready made food has become the popular option for many working people. The growing popularity of fast food explains the reason as to why there are many restaurants being established in America (Anderson 2009). Many restaurants are changing their trends from offering other types of food to offering fast food because this business is currently booming in America. No matter how much nutritionists preach the healthy benefits of fast food, at the end of a tiring and demanding day at the office, no one can turn down a delicious hamburger or pizza. Preparing food at home especially for the working people who have less time for that is time consuming. Apart from the time spent in preparing a dish, one has to get some time to rush out to the market to buy all the ingredients needed in preparing that dish. After preparing and taking the home-prepared dish, one has to have the time to clear out the used dishes. All these factors discourage people from preparing meals for themselves and instead prefer fast food, which saves time for other important professional activities. 2) Fast Food is Economical For A Single Person Apart from saving time, fast food is cost effective compared to the meals prepared in the kitchen. Take for instances bachelors who live on their won. Buying food at the supermarket or a fast food restaurant is much cheaper than preparing it at home. Fast foods such as fries, hot dogs, and hamburgers are cheap compared to the ingredients, time and energy required preparing a delicious meal at home. It is for sure that fast food has raised health concerns especially for children (Ebbeling, Kelly and, Mark et al 2004). However, if someone carefully scrutinizes the menu of a fast food restaurant, one can get options, which are highly healthy. For instance, the salads offered by almost all fast food restaurants are nutritious and healthy. There are varieties of bread products made from wheat. They are both nutritious and healthy. There are also fast food meat products made from lean meat, meaning they have less fat and hence healthy for both the children and adults. In fast food restaurants, many foods are prepared by either frying or boiling. The products prepared through boiling are healthier compared to the fried ones, hence one has always an option in terms of healthy fast foods. Fast food restaurants do not only offer carbonated drinks associated with many healthy risks, but also offer their own prepared fresh fruit juices, low-fat milk shakes, diet soda, and clean drinking water all of which are healthy. 3) Some Fast Food Products are Highly Healthy Due to various campaigns against fast food concerning effect on people’s health, many fast food restaurants have come up with strategies to retain their customers who might be shunned away by such campaigns. If you walk in today in many of the fats food restaurants, there is nutrition information and the ingredients used in preparing various meals presented in the menu card. This means that a person can restrict some ingredients, which one deems unhealthy from being included in the preparation of the food ordered. One can also request the inclusion of some ingredients that he or she thinks are healthy in the preparation of the food ordered. Section B: Disadvantages of Fast Food 1) Most Fast Food Products are Highly Unhealthy According to Burkhauser and John (2008), many of the fast food products are higher in fats, sugar and calories and this is the main reason as to why they are associated with high risk of weight gain and obesity. Therefore, one disadvantage of fast food is the negative effect on health. It is not arguable that most of the fast food products are unhealthy compared to meals prepared at home because they contain many unwanted nutrients and excess fats, sugar and artificial chemicals. Another possibility is that since the foods are prepared quickly, they may be undercooked meaning that they are left with some bacteria that are harmful to one’s health. 2) The Methods of Preparing Most Fast Food Products are Unhealthy Another disadvantage with fast food is the method used in preparing it (Schaefer 2006). Most of the fast food products are fried. Frying food destroys most of the essential nutrients contained in the food. If one is careful in looking at the food offered at any fast food restaurant, very small amounts of vegetables and fruits are served along with the dish. On the other hand, some of their foods have more vegetables than required causing more health problems. Nutritionists point out that our bodies require small amounts of salt and sugar in order to keep the body tissues and cells healthy. On the contrary, many fast food restaurants contain excess salt and sugar thereby, causing many healthy problems to the consumers. a) Fast Food Causes Obesity According to Burkhauser and John (2008), fast foods have since time in the past, been linked with obesity in the United States. Obesity in America is on the rise and many nutritionists argue that there is a direct connection amid the increasing popularity of fast foods and increasing rates of obesity especially among the children. According to Austin et al (2005), many of the fast food joints are being established near schools. It is also important to point out that many of the adverts on fast foods products targets children. This means that many school-aged children are falling prey to unhealthy fast food products and this explains the reason as to why many of them are becoming obese. b) Fast Food Cardiovascular And Other Heart-Related Diseases Considering the comfortable lifestyles most Americans lead, the excess fats and calories consumed in fast food products are not completely utilized. The result of this is that the unused calories and fats accumulate in the body and this leads to development of diseases such as cardiovascular, other heart related diseases and obesity just to mention but a few. Obesity, which has been argued to be largely caused by consumption of unhealthy fast food, is associated with other problem such as high blood pressure, diseases that affect the body joints, kidney problems among others. The study carried out by Austin, Bryn, Melly and others in 2005 indicate that the children who go to schools with a fast food café nearby are at a raised risk of becoming obese, compared with others who go to schools, which are not near the fast food restaurant. Another recent study show that people who live within the vicinity of a restaurant are at a greater risk of developing stroke, compared to those who live a distance away. 3) Fast Food Is Highly Costly For a Whole Family Eating at a fast food hotel is only economical when alone. The greater the number of people at a table in a fast food restaurant, the greater the cost incurred. Taking out your family to a fast food joint once in awhile, might not be costly. However, making it a habit to eat out at a fast food joint with your family can be a costly affair besides being an unhealthy one. Upcoming research is also suggesting that fast food joints are the main reason as to why family members are spending less and less time together especially during meals. Mealtime is considered the time that all family members should come together and share their experiences. However, fast food joints have taken the place for family meal times and this is tearing away families. This is evident with teenagers who prefer eating at fast food joint, since that is where they can hang out with friends and peers. Section C: What the USА and the UK Gоvеrnmеnts do to Rеduсе Their Effесt of Fast Food Obesity has been declared an epidemic in the USA and United Kingdom (Ebbeling et al 2004). Various researches conducted to determine the cause of increasing rates of obesity have shown a direct connection amid the expanding fast food industry in these two countries and the increasing rates of obesity. It is argued that most of the fast food products are unhealthy and this is the reason as to why they are the main cause of obesity and other related diseases. Due to this, the USA and the UK government have laid down strategies to reduce the influence that fast foods have on the health of their citizens. 1) Zoning in an attempt to Generate A Healthier Food Retail Industry The direct correlation linking junk food to overweight suggest that by restricting the accessibility of junk food joints and substituting those with healthier option scan persuade the community to consume healthier foods. Both the UK and the USA local governments have tried the zoning strategy in an attempt to cut down the consumption of unhealthy foods, which cause obesity and other diseases (Hirschhorn 2004). Hirschhorn describes zoning as the action by a state to put restrictions on where buildings can be erected, the height of the building and the areas that must be left inbuilt. The USA and the UK government are using the zoning restrictions to determine the places that fast food restaurant can run their business activities. For instance, in the USA, there is a ban on fast food operations near schools. The governments are also using the zoning strategy to encourage the development of alternative avenues for providing healthier food such as in supermarkets. 2) Ban on Use Of Trans-Fats And Approving Of Bills Associated With Fast Food Consumption The New York City passed a ban on trans-fats use in all the fast food restaurants. This is after doctors petitioned the US government to take action on the use of trans-fats, which are associated with obesity. Several states in the UK have also passed a similar ban restricting the use of trans-fats. The New York City has also approved a bill that requires that all fast food joints produce a menu indicating the amount of calorie of the various food products that they serve. Los Angeles is at present taking into account a bill that will restrict junk food joints such as McDonald’s from increasing the number of joints in cities where there are many such joints. The US and the UK government also passed a ban on the use of toy advertisements by fast food restaurants in targeting children. Currently, it is considered illegal in the US for fast food companies to design toy adverts targeting children. 3) Policies on Consumption Of Healthy Foods Both the US and the UK have formulated and implemented policies on consumption of healthy foods. However, an article by Trust for America’s Health, argues that the American policies on healthy food consumption are failing. Both the UK and the US involve the fasts food companies in formulating the policies regulating consumption of unhealthy foods. This means that the owners of these companies stand a chance to influence the government in formulating biased policies, which are not able to control the production and consumption of unhealthy foods. Many argue that unless the government formulates these policies on it own without the undue influence of fast food company owners, the policies on consumption of unhealthy foods will remain ineffective. 3.0 Conclusion From the discussion, it is evident that fast foods have various advantages and disadvantages. Fast food is time saving, cheap for a single person and some fast food products are healthy for consumption. One of the greatest disadvantages of fast food is that it is unhealthy and it has been argued to be the number one cause of obesity in both children and adults. Fast food is also expensive for a whole family and recently has been pointed that it is eating into family meal time and hence family members are spending less time together. Due to the increasing rates of obesity in both the US and the UK, their governments have laid down various strategies in order to reduce the effect of fast food on their citizen’s health. Some of these strategies include zoning in order to create a healthier food retail market, passing of bans, bills, and formulation of policies on consumption of unhealthy foods. Despite the fact that the fast foods have various disadvantages, it is an industry that earns a nation much income and this explains the reason as to why it is difficult for any government to abolish them completely. Reference List Anderson, M & David, A. M 2009, Are Restaurants Really Supersizing America? Unpublished. Ashe, M., Jernigan, D., Kline, R & Galaz, R 2003, ‘Land use planning and the control of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and fast food restaurants’, American Journal of Public Health, vol. 93, no. 9, pp. 1404-1408. Austin, S. B., Steven, J., Brisa, N. S., Aarti, P., Stephen, B & Steven, L.G 2005, ‘Clustering of Fast-Food Restaurants Around Schools: A Novel Application of Spatial Statistics to the Study of Food Environments’, American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 9, pp. 1575–81. Burkhauser, R. V & John, C 2008, ‘Beyond BMI: The Value of More Accurate Measures of Fatness and Obesity in Social Science Research’, Journal of Health Economics, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 519–29. DeMaria, A.N 2003, ‘Of fast food and franchises’, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, vol. 41, no. 7, pp. 1227-1228. Dunn, R. A 2008, Obesity and the Availability of Fast-Food: An Instrumental Variables Approach, Unpublished. Ebbeling, C. B., Kelly, B., Sinclair, M. A., Pereira, Erica G., Henry, A. F &David, S. L 2004, ‘Compensation for Energy Intake from Fast Food Among Overweight and Lean Adolescents’, Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 291, no. 23, pp. 2828–33. Hirschhorn, J. S 2004, ‘Zoning should promote public health’, American Journal of Health Promotion, vol. 18, no. 3, pp.258-260. McAllister, A Zoning for Fast-Food and Drive-In Restaurants, Planning Advisory Service, Report No. 320, Chicago, Illinois, American Society of Planning Officials. Schaefer, P 2006, Healthy Fast Food: Oxymoron or Competitive Advantage?, Attard Communications, Inc. Available at: http://www.franchiseknowhow.com/articles/healthy-food.htm [Accessed 22 February 2013] Trust for America’s Health 2005, F as in Fact: How Obesity Policies are failing in America, Issue Report. Available at: http://healthyamericans.org [Accessed 22 February 2013] Read More