The Role of Fast Food Chains - Research Paper Example

Fast Foods Humanity lives in a world characterized by a vibrant society in which work and studies occupy the minds of most individuals. In effect, people tend to use a lot of their time at work and school. As a result, individuals rarely find time to prepare a good meal after a hardworking day due to fatigue or to engagement in other activities after work or school. In addition, the days when students and employees carried their parked lunch to school or work are long gone. In effect, people want to “grab a bite” quickly and go back to their activities. In this case, individuals eat food prepared and served quickly in packaged form at outlets known as “take away” because it is convenient. In effect, it has become a common occurrence to find mothers bring home packed food to their children as their dinner. In this regard, the country, and the world to some extent, experiences a culture whereby fast foods are the order of the day in most households. While fast foods have created employment and business opportunities all over the world, there is a growing criticism on negative health effects of consuming fast foods especially in the American society. First, the patterns of food consumption have greatly changed in the world and especially in America. One of these changes is on the rise in consumption and purchasing of fast foods in America. Jekanowski, Binkley, and Eales noted, “In 1997, food away from home accounted for about 45% of total food expenditures, up from approximately 26% in 1960” (58). In this case, food away from home is fast foods that most Americans consider convenient due to their busy lives. In addition, it is common knowledge that the female participation in the labor market is steadily rising each year. Traditionally, it is the role of women to prepare food at home. Therefore, more females joining the labor force implies that the household time is decreasing as more women are seeking employment. In effect, the convenience of fast foods and the decreasing household time are the two fundamental reasons that have pushed the consumption and expenditure on fast food upwards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture noted, “From 1982 to 2003, expenditure on fast food in the U.S. raised from $26.5 billion to $126.7 billion-an annual rate of growth of 6.4%, over 2% higher than the growth rate of at home food consumption (qtd. in Richards, Patterson, and Hamilton 425). In effect, this implies that more and more Americans spent a lot of money to consume fast foods, which meant that they cut on spending on the traditional home foods due to the convenience of the fast foods and increasing participation of women in the labor market. On the other hand, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at the same time noted, “The percentage of consumers regarded as obese more than doubled, rising from roughly 14% to 30%” (qtd. in Richards, Patterson, and Hamilton 425). Nevertheless, it is important to point out that there are various causes of obesity, which implies that fast food is not the only cause. However, Chou, Grossman, and Saffer regarded the consumption of fast foods as the fundamental reason behind the rise in the levels of diabetes and obesity in the country (qtd. in Richards, Patterson, and Hamilton 425). A 2005 study by the University of Minnesota “found a direct link between eating fast food and the development of type 2 diabetes (qtd. in H. O’Keefe and J O’Keefe 38). In effect, this explains the rising cases of diabetes amongst the citizens of American. In addition, the study further noted “people who consumed fast foods two or more times a week were typically ten pounds heavier than those who ate fast food less than once a week” (qtd. in H. O’Keefe and J O’Keefe 38). In effect, the implication of heavily relying on fast foods amongst Americans is an overweight society, which effectively leads to obesity and puts an individual at risk of diseases such as hypertension. However, the study identified a more perturbing “finding that the fast-foods fans had a twofold increase in insulin resistance, which stimulates the pancreas to pump out even higher amounts of insulin (qtd. in H. O’Keefe and J O’Keefe 38). In effect, the consequence of this is increased belly fats, which leads to obesity. On the other hand, individuals relying heavily on fast foods will be at a higher risk of diabetes and heart diseases due to the elevated levels of insulin pumped. A rising area of concern in public health in the American society regards a wave of overweight children. Crooks supports this by noting, “Over the last 20 years, children have become fatter and are exhibiting what were formerly thought of as adult diseases associated with overweight (e.g., type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure)” (182). All these diseases formerly associated with old age, although children are increasingly suffering from the diseases. In effect, the society refers to these diseases as “lifestyle diseases” since they are a result of the lifestyles people adopted by failing to eat a proper diet and inculcating an exercise regime as part of their daily activities. While carrying out a study on childhood obesity, Ebbeling, Pawlak, and Ludwig identified “a number of interacting environmental influences on diet, activity, and family practices in the United States that promote overweight and poor nutritional status among children” (qtd. in Crooks 183). In this case, this study identifies that a variety of factors in the environment influenced the children’s diet, which led to these lifestyles diseases amongst children. One of the underlying factors contributing to the diseases amongst children according to Ebbeling, Pawlak, and Ludwig is “the contracting out of food services to companies that often sells low quality fast foods” (qtd. in Crooks 183). In effect, the study observed that the rise of overweight children in the American society was a result of the rise in fast foods outlets, even within the school environment. Another study by Currie et al. meant to investigate the impact of geographical location of fast food restaurants in 2009 had disturbing findings. The study found “that among 9th grade children, the presence of a fast-food restaurant within a tenth of a mile of a school is associated with an increase of about 1.7 percentage points in the fraction of students in a class who are obese relative to the presence at .25 miles. This effect amounts to a 5.2 percent increase in the incidence of obesity” (Currie et al. 3). In effect, this implies that the presence of a fast food in an area predisposed children to obesity, which puts the children at a risk of diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure at a juvenile age. Over the years, it is evident that more Americans are resulting to taking more portions of fast foods. In addition, fast food chains have not helped in slowing the intake of more portions since they continue increasing the amount of portions to the citizens. Young and Nestle noted, “Portion sizes offered by fast-foods chains are often two to five times larger than when first introduced” (239). In effect, this implies that Americans are eating more unhealthy food since Young and Nestle further noted the “large portions contribute to overweight in three ways: they provide more calories than smaller portions, encourage people to consume significantly more calories and to greatly underestimate those calories” (239). Effectively, the results are an overweight society that puts itself at risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. In this case, most Americans live in a busy environment that ensures they had less time to exercise, which is an effective way of burning the calories from the fast foods. In addition, the busy lives ensured that they took more food prepared away from home and served quickly, which in most cases is from fast food chains. There are other health conditions resulting from the consumption of fast foods. In a study that appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers “found that people who regularly ate processed foods that were high in fat and sugar were 58 percent more likely to suffer from depression than those who ate a more balanced diet” (qtd. in Mann). In this regard, processed foods that are high in fat and sugar content are a fundamental characteristic of fast foods. In effect, consuming fast foods put an individual at a risk of suffering from depression. While linking depression to fast foods, the study concluded, “Relative to their calorie density, junk foods lack nutrients, like antioxidants, folate, and omega-3s that contribute to good mental health” (qtd. in Mann). Therefore, achieving good mental health from fast foods is highly unlikely since most fast foods do not offer these essential nutrients, which implies that only wholesome foods can offer the nutrients. In effect, eating more portions of fast foods puts an individual at a risk of depression. The influence of fast foods in America has spread all over the world with similar effects on health. In a 2012 study conducted by Washi and Agieb in Saudi Arabia’s city of Jeddah, the study identified rapid changes in the country’s diet due to the Western diet, which simply means fast foods, replacing Arabian traditional cuisine. As a result, Washi and Agieb noted “an alarming increase in the number of overweight and obese children and adolescents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” In this case, it is evident that fast foods are not only affecting Americans, but are also playing an instrumental role in increasing other countries levels of obesity and overweight people. In conclusion, it is prudent to point out that fast food chains have played, and continue playing an integral part in the global business sector by providing employment and income to millions of people. In this regard, fast food chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King do not only provide direct and indirect income to millions of people, but also participate in developing the economies of the countries of their operations. On the other hand, the rising consumption and consumer expenditure on fast foods has led to the growth of fast foods. However, the negative health effects of consumption of fast foods are insurmountable with a rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases facing Americans and other nations around the world. In this case, the convenience associated with consumption of fast foods and increases in female participation, in the labor force, are the two major factors that have contributed to the consumption of fast foods. In effect, fast food chains increase the portions and sell to the consumers putting them at a risk of obesity and other lifestyle diseases. Works Cited Crooks, Deborah L. Trading Nutrition for Education: Nutritional Status and the Sale of Snack Foods in an Eastern Kentucky School. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 17.2 (June 2003): 182-199. Jstor.org. Web. 25 April. 2012. . Currie, Janet, Stefano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania. The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity. University of California, Berkley. January 2009. Web. 25 April 2012. . Jekanowski, Mark D., James K. Binkley, and James Eales. Convenience, Accessibility, and the Demand for Fast Food. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 26.1 (July 2001): 58-74. Jstor.org. Web.25 April 2012. . Mann, Molly. 4 Surprising Effects of Fast Food. Care2. 12 April 2011. Web. 25 April 2012. . O’Keefe, James H., and Joan O’Keefe. The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. Print. Richards, Timothy J., Paul M. Patterson, and Stephen F. Hamilton. Fast Food, Addiction, and Market Power. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 32.3 (December 2007): 425-447. Jstor.org. Web. 25 April 2012. . Washi, Sidiga A., and Maha B. Ageib. “Poor diet quality and food habits are related to impaired nutritional status in 13- to 18-year-old adolescents in Jeddah.” Nutrition Research 30.8(2010): 32-36. Web. 25 April 2012. . Young, Lisa R., and Marion Nestle. Portion Sizes and Obesity: Responses of Fast-Food Companies. Journal of Public Health Policy 28.2 (2007): 238-248. Jstor.org. Web. 25 April 2012. . Read More