Competition between McDonalds and Chipolte - Essay Example

Running Head: MCDONALD’S VS CHIPOTLE McDonald’s vs Chipotle Fast food refers to any food which can be cooked and served in a very short time. Although any meal that can be prepared very quickly can be considered as fast food, more specifically the term is given to food sold in restaurants with ingredients that are precooked or preheated. Such food is served to the customers in “packaged form or take-away”. (Salaries for Food Workers, n.d.). The general belief among people is that fast food is unhealthy and should be avoided as much as possible. Although fast food comes at low prices and is convenient for young people, such foods are more often not healthy and contain high calories, sodium and fat. With the right kind of information, it is however possible to make choices for healthier fast food at cheap prices in many restaurants. It is necessary to peruse the guides that show the “nutritional content” of meals in various fast food restaurants. (Paul & Robinson, 2011). Fast foods are generally very low in nutritional value and contain fats and carbohydrates. This can cause lack of energy for those who consume fast food. Due to high content of oil and fat, fast foods are not easily digested and this can cause lack of concentration. Another major negative effect of fast food is that it can cause heart diseases because of its high content of cholesterol. (Lee, 2008) In America, eating out in restaurants has become a lifestyle of the younger generation. Since fast foods come at cheap and convenient prices, they are easily affordable for young people. This paper focuses on the healthy differences between McDonald’s and Chipotle restaurants’ foods and the amount of time it can take to make a healthy choice.  McDonalds vs Chipotle Chipotle foods are fresh Chipotle restaurants are known to serve Mexican food which are fresh and prepared with integrity. Chipotle selects the best ingredients for their food. They provide support and maintain the families of farmers who take good care of their land and animals. Chipotle takes meat for their food items from animals that are naturally raised and reared with care. The chickens they use are not given arsenic to hasten their growth. The animals are given vegetarian diet and are not injected with hormones or antibiotics. Chipotle collects dairy from cows that are raised with natural food. The cows are not injected with synthetic hormones to increase milk production. They are allowed to roam in pasture to feed them. Chipotle takes pork from ranchers who keep their pigs in “deeply bedded” pens. Chipotle takes extra care to make their food tasty so that they can satisfy the young people who are biggest consumers of fast food. At the same time, Chipotle sees that the food is filled with nutritional value. The animals are treated with respect and are allowed to grow in natural environment. In case of vegetarian food items, majority of the vegetables are raised organically. Although vegetables that are produced organically seem to be smaller in size and less appetizing than those which are raised non-organically, still it is believed by Chipotle that organically produced vegetables are good for the people and the environment. Such vegetables can also be tasty. 40% of beans used by Chipotle are grown organically and this reduces chemical pesticide. Since, organic vegetables are not appropriate for all kinds of food served by Chipotle, so they also use vegetables which are produced by farmers in sustainable methods and are not organic. Chipotle uses vegetables grown in farms owned by families. The nutrition of soils gets depleted if a single type of crop is grown over and over. “Family farmers rotate crops, plant multiple crops, avoid pesticides and generally farm in a sustainable way”. Chipotle meets with suppliers to ensure that standards are maintained while farming vegetables. (What is food with integrity? n.d.) Chipotle foods are in high contrast with food in McDonald’s in terms of nutritional values although both are fast food restaurants. McDonalds unhealthy processed foods McDonald’s products generally have a high content of fat, sugar, oil and salt. They do not carry any nutritional value as they are low in vitamins and minerals. This kind of food can cause breast cancer and heart disease. It is seen that in Britain, 180,000 deaths are caused by heart diseases. The meat used for food items in McDonald’s contains preservatives and injected hormones. White bread is processed for making buns that have no health value. Processed tomatoes and white lettuce are used as vegetables which again do not have any sort of nutritional value. McDonald’s use low quality meat for their foods and so they are cooked in large amount of oil and are extremely greasy when served. The burgers served in McDonald’s contain more fat, salt and sugar than those served in other fast food restaurants like Chipotle although McDonald’s attempt to impress the fact that their “hamburgers, chips, colas and milkshakes are a useful and nutritious part of any diet”. It is important for health to chew food properly before swallowing, but foods served in McDonald’s are “lacking in bulk” and so is difficult to chew. The high sugar and salt content of the foods create cravings among consumers which is not healthy. (Whats wrong with McDonald’s? 1986) In McDonald’s there cannot be high choice of nutritional foods as most foods are fried and processed. McDonald’s Processed meat products Meat for McDonald’s food items comes from different parts of animals. These animals are bred solely for the purpose of becoming source for McDonald’s meat supply. The animals are slaughtered everyday. They are bred under artificial conditions in factories. They do not get access to air or sunlight. Meat becomes poisonous with “gut contents, faeces and urine” when animals are killed. To protect the animals from infection, they are infused with antibiotics. They are also given drugs to hasten their growth. All these antibiotics and drugs get stored in the tissues of the animals which become extremely harmful for people who eat products made from the meat of such animals. (Whats wrong with McDonald’s? 1986). Such processed food when fried in oil becomes even more harmful. Such food does not supply the required vitamins and minerals to the body of consumers. McDonald’s is also known to add fillers to their food items. Therefore, it is not easy to select healthy items from their menu. Not so many healthy choices It is hard to find too many options if one is diet conscious. However, McDonald’s which is known for its fat and calories-filled foods, has been striving hard to focus on the health factor by adding healthy items to its menu. There are now few selections which can be considered healthy and they are variety of salads that can be served as main dish. The ingredients of salad are selected by McDonald’s according to quality. There are also grilled sandwiches with chicken. The chicken is bought from leading suppliers to maintain quality and freshness. Even ice cream containing low fat is served. Milk used for making ice cream is of fresh quality. Fresh fruits and yogurt are also available as desserts. (McDonald’s: serving a quality meal every time, pp.1-3). Unlike McDonalds, it is generally easier to find healthy food in Chipotle because of low fat and oil content. Chipolte Non processed meat products The food served in Chipolte is not processed from different parts of animals and does not contain fillers like McDonald’s. The meat is produced in a way that is not harmful for the animal. The meat is free from preservatives and is taken from animals that are reared ethically in favorable environments. Most of the meats are prepared on the grill and never fried. This ensures low fat and oil content and preservation of nutritional values. Such methods of food preparation make healthy choices much easier than McDonald’s. (What is food with integrity? n.d.) Healthy choices Chipotle serves chicken items like burrito, burrito bowls and tacos. Even the salad can have a choice of meat. Chicken and pork which are taken from naturally raised animals are grilled and not fried. Vegetarian items contain guacamole which is fresh when served. Chipotle serves food which are prepared and made ready for a quick lunch or dinner. Conclusion The point that is trying to be made is that it is not so hard to make a healthy quick meal choice. People should think twice about eating fatty unhealthy processed foods. Chipolte is one choice that can easily be made. It is quick and the food is healthy and fresh. There are many other healthy choices that can be made besides choosing chipotle but the point is to get people to realize that McDonalds may be fast, but there are other places that offer healthy food just as quick. Fast food products even if prepared with best possible methods to contain nutritional values are still rich in fat, oil, sugar and salt. Although such food are available at low cost, still it is prudent for young people to occasionally indulge into fast food and should not make it a habit. References Lee, J. (14th January, 2008) Harmful effects of junk food, ezinearticles, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Harmful-Effects-Of-Junk-Food&id=927106 McDonald’s: serving a quality meal every time, (2006) mcdepk, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://mcdepk.com/asiansalad/mediadocs/QualityFactSheet.pdf Paul, M.W. & L. Robinson (December, 2011) Healthy Fast Food: Tips for making healthier fast food choices, helpguide, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm Salaries for Food Workers, (n.d.) fastfoodattendantjobs, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://www.fastfoodattendantjobs.com/ What is food with integrity? (n.d.) chipotle, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fwi/fwi.aspx Whats wrong with McDonald’s? (1986) mcspotlight, retrieved on 27th February, 2012 from: http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/factsheet.html Read More