Fast Food Nation by Erick Schlosser - Essay Example

Fast Food Nation. Fast Food nation is a book that was written Erick Schlosser who is an investigative journalist. The book delves into the inner features and workings of the fast food industry in the United States (US) and the rest of the world. In the book, there features examples of how the fast food culture has affected eating cultures around the globe, and the influence it has on the health of those who have adapted to this culture. The book acts as an enlightenment tool for those who read it because it provides insights into the reality behind the concept of fast food as an industry. This paper aims to evaluate this book and determine whether it contains or lacks value to a specific group of citizens in the US. The US fast food industry started after the Second World War when the country came out of the Great Economic Depression. These times saw the country experience an economic boom that led to massive gains on all fronts of the economy. More jobs were created by the many industries, factories and corporations that were founded on the basis of this economic boom. This led to urbanization, which was characterized by people moving from rural areas to urban centers where there were job opportunities. The lifestyle in the city necessitated for there to be a system that could offer fast food services to the busy metropolitan population. This was because lifestyle, in cities, did not allow a lot of time to be spent on meals at the expense of working hours. Thus, the fast food industry was borne, out of this necessity, to offer fast and convenient food services and delivery to consumers on the go due to time constraints (Talwar 58). The book offers valuable lessons, insights and information, to parents, which enable them to make informed choices about the source of food they allow their children to consume. The information contained in the book can help parents realize the detriments of fast food in the diet of their children. U.S. parents are given insights on how to recognize marketing gimmicks and ploys that are aimed at ensnaring their children onto fast foods. They can use this newly gained information to protect their children form advertising campaigns directed at their children. Apart from the negative impact that fast foods have on health, which the book does not keenly elaborate on, there other crucial features in the book that are important. The use of marketing campaigns directed at children poses a significant risk to children. According to Schlosser, this is in the sense that it serves as a form of indoctrination because it leads these children to becoming lifetime loyal customers. This is despite the fact that habitual consumption of fast food meals is a key causative agent for a myriad of health problems. This advertising predisposes children to becoming loyal customers who are blind to the detrimental benefits of fast food meals (Nestle 208). Fast Food Nation provides vital information, to parents, which is utilized to shield the innocent minds, of children, from advertising that might have an impact on the rest of their lives. The chapter about the chemical compounds used, by fast food companies, to flavor their food stuffs offers crucial information that can be used by health professionals. The book gives an account of some chemical food additives with known harmful implications that are used to give these food stuffs that unique taste. These substances are used to give fast foods their unique aroma, taste and appearance so that they are appealing and attractive to their customers. Some of these chemical substances have recognized abilities to promote the development of diseases and conditions like diabetes and cancer. The impact of these chemical substances is especially magnified if consumed for a long time from a tender age. This is because these chemicals build up in the body, raising their concentrations to levels that can cause toxicity. The effects of these chemicals can have far-reaching effects that can last through generations where damage occurs at the gene level (Wilk 168). Information on these chemical substances from the book provides crucial background knowledge. This knowledge can be applied by the general population in identifying foods that are flavored using these chemicals, and thus avoid them. The book highlights how efforts by the U.S. government to promote business enterprises by offering tax subsidies affect educational funding. This is in the sense that these subsidies are given to business enterprises at the expense of educational funding (Nestle 132). This is despite the fact that business entities that benefit from these subsidies are in no urgent need for tax breaks to improve their stature. This is unlike the education system that is lacking in sufficient funding to carry out its mandated duty of providing a quality education to children. Taxes are a vital source of revenue that the government uses to fund services to its citizenry like quality health and education. Lack of funds by the government is instigated, by tax subsidies, to corporations that do not need financial aid or considerations. This affects the quality of education that is received by children in U.S. schools leading to the production of an undereducated generation of Americans. These corporations use the money saved by these subsidies to intensify their campaigns, which are mostly targeted at children in schools. Due to the lack of funds by most schools, their administrations are forced to accept lucrative advertising deals offered by fast food corporations. This is done to enable schools raise enough money so as to meet some of their financial obligations (Schlosser 201). According to Schlosser, 90% of corporate sponsors ensure that some content in the learning material they provide for have undertones of the merchandise that they produce or sell. Sources contacted, by Schlosser, claim that 13% of schools, in the U.S. serve fast foods in their cafeterias, which is an indirect marketing strategy employed by these corporations. Those who are most affected, by this practices, by the government and fast food corporations are the children who end up consuming fast foods and receiving an underfunded education. The book provides valuable insights to the electorate that can be used to promote governments that pass and implement policies that are beneficial to all sides. Fast food restaurants have been attributed to be the employers of the largest pool of unskilled labor force in the US. This is coupled to the fact that it is an industry known to pay minimum wage for a lot of work done, yet it has one of the highest turnovers in terms of profit. The fast food industry is serviced by a labor force that is composed of semi-skilled and unskilled workers who are mostly immigrants and student part-timers (Talwar 120). Students in all large cities and towns are the majority of workers in fast food restaurants who work on a part time basis. Fast food restaurants offer a viable, easy and convenient way for students to earn money while studying. Most students who see this as an easy way of making money are blind to the negative impact this has on their studies. This is because these jobs require them to put in long working hours, which leaves them exhausted, with little energy, to focus on their studies. This, in turn, affects their performance in school, which can have significant influence in their lives and careers. The working formula of a fast food restaurant does not foster ideal work ethics, in these young students’ minds, in a way that can be beneficial in their lives after completing school. The demographics provided in this book help shed a light on the effect of fast food job opportunities. These jobs negatively impact on the performance of students in secondary and tertiary educational institutions. This waters-down the skills and professional foundation that is imparted in these institutions leading to compromise in the nation’s future workforce (Suarez & Hillard 160). Fast Food Nation offers valuable insights into the inner workings of the fast food industry in the US and its implications locally and on a global scale. The negative impact of fast food meals, on health, is compounded further by the industry’s use of chemicals with harmful side effects. These harmful effects, on health and other aspects of social lif,e lead to a drain on the government’s resources that could be used to address other crucial matters like education. This is because fast foods have been attributed to be causative agents of some leading killer diseases in the US. These are preventable conditions that can be averted by adapting to a healthier lifestyle. The book offers valuable understanding that can be used to protect children from advertisements, by fast food corporations, which have a negative impact on their lives. There are gainful acumens from the book that can be utilized, by the electorate, to ensure that the government supports and implements policies that are beneficial to society. Fast Food Nation, is a good book, to refer to when in search of evidence pertaining to the detriments of the fast food industry with relation to its impact on American society. Works Cited Nestle, M. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition. 2nd Illustrated and Revised Edition.University of California Press. 2007. Print. Schlosser, E. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-american Meal. Illustrated Reprint Edition.Houghton Miffin Harcourt. 2012. Print. Suarez-Orozco, M. M. &Hillard-Qin, D. B. Globalization: culture and education in the new millennium. Illustrated Edition.University of California Press. 2004. Print. Talwar, J. P. Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, and the American Dream. Westview Press. 2009. Print. Wilk, R. R. Fast Food, Slow Food: The Cultural Economy of the Global Food System. Illustrated Edition.Rowman Altamira. 2006. Print. Read More