Food Education in America -The dangers of fast food Since it first opened its doors in 1940, by Richard and Maurice McDonald, with its single location in San Bernardino California, Mcdonald 's has been luring the working class into their restaurants by offering hot and ready meals for a reasonable price. Now almost eight decades later, with over 36.000 locations in 120 countries. Mcdonald 's restaurants are everywhere Airports, Walmarts, gas stations, shopping malls, train stations, amusement parks, even hospitals. How is it that Mcdonald 's are everywhere? As modern lifestyle continues to evolve, the working class American, with its increasingly busy schedule, food has become a burden with both parents working full-time jobs to …show more content…
The documentary explores the idea that although fast food is the more convenient option, American consumers should consider avoiding fast food and put into perspective what they are succumbing their bodies to ,and the health benefits a good diet provides. Spurlock also brings to light the fact how public schools could be taking on more responsibility in teaching children about food education and health.
Health Risks Associated with Fast food
In Super Size Me, Spurlock address how the The United States has become the fattest country, with an obesity and overweight rate of 70.7% among adults aged 20 years or older, according to a study done by the U.S Department of Health and Human Resources between 2013-2014. In more recent decades there has been a large increase on what foods are more easily accessible to the public, cost and time are definitely big factors when considering what the next meal might be, it seems as if the health aspect has been shoved aside and is not the main priority. We are highly unaware of what we are ingesting into our bodies, and even more shielded from the long term effects a poor diet and lack of nutrition will have physically and mentally. Spurlock when consulting with one of his doctors towards the end of his 30 day experiment, he informs that his liver appears to not only be a fatty liver,
McDonald’s is the global foodservice business with more than 20,000 local restaurants serving more than 30 million customers each day. McDonald’s has spread through over 100 countries, including countries in East Asia (Watson, 3). In the book “Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia” by James L. Watson, he studied three countries which were Beijing, Seoul, and Japan. Also, he wrote how McDonald’s has played a role in each countries cultures that he mentioned. He mentioned how different countries McDonald’s share similarities and differences the way cultures were impacted economically and politically, and also, how people viewed the American cultures coming to their countries. In this essay, I’ll be writing about how McDonald’s has been
The way that Burger King and other fast food restaurant chains do business and markets their products to consumers is due to the change in our society to where the consumer wants the biggest, fastest, and best product they can get for their money. This change in society can be attributed to a process known as McDonaldization. Although McDonaldization can be applied to many other parts of our society, this paper will focus on its impact on Burger King and Taco Bell restaurants. My belief is that the process of McDonaldization has lead our generations toward a more a much more efficient lifestyle, with much less quality. From my observations and studies of these fast food resturants, several themes have become
Contrary to the popular belief of the time, Morgan Spurlock’s amateur documentary “Supersize Me” pushed reform in both fast food culture, and eating habits of citizens, being one of the first catalysts in a new movement in America. This 2004 film, being the first of his works to establish Spurlock as a filmmaker, focuses on Spurlock’s 30 day journey in which he vowed to eat solely McDonalds for three meals a day, and track his overall mental, physical, and social changes over this span of time. Throughout the film, Spurlock consults three doctors (a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner) as well as a nutritionist to monitor physical change and gather quantitative data supporting his claim. The film often exhibited
The McDonald’s “Speedee Service System” launched in 1948 and made meals terribly cheap and fast. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser wrote, “The McDonald brothers’ Speedee Service System revolutionized the restaurant business… as word spread about the low prices and good hamburgers.” (20) For the first time, working-class families could afford to buy their children restaurant food. Customers were purchasing their “Pure Beef Hamburger” for 15 cents, and “Tempting Cheeseburger” for 20 cents.
In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulate consumers, especially young generations, into buying their products. Children were made the targets of advertising campaigns because these corporations knew that they were the most gullible audience. The 1950’s were filled with consumer trends in which buyers went after products that they believed to be popular and wanted to have the same things as everyone else. Corporations knew that they would have a very easy job in luring consumers because many other products and services had become trend setters in the 1950’s, so consumers would line up to buy fast food if it was presented as being “modern” and “trendy” in a sense. This paper will detail how consumerism and advertising played a large role in constructing American cultural identity during the post-war era.
In general, Americans have long-standing problems with obesity, but this issue is not just in the United States only. Even it has spread to many countries, especially Taiwan. Many young children are a bit overweight. The obesity rate is twice the proportion in Taiwan compared to Korea. I think this number is an admonishment to let us to know that eating junk food not only affects people’s health, but also influences the country’s development.
Spurlock also tried to limit himself to as little activity as possible without staying at home all the time. In doing this he is trying to assimilate his body to what the average person would; average being three to five-thousand steps or less a day. In regards to these self constructed regulations it forces Spurlock Now this is not to say that what Spurlock does is that of the average person. His intention was to over exaggerate the conditions, and the amount of food, to show the long term effects of fast food on our bodies. Spurlock's definition for an average person, is not to be viewed at 100% true, because he has massive generalization and has put all Americans into one bucket. Although he also does indicate that most New Yorkers walk an average of 6 miles a day which is far more than three to five-thousand steps (Spurlock, 2004). Spurlock doctors were correct in the statement that the body is resilient and the amount of change our bodies can withstand in a short amount of
Fast Food Nation is an attempt to link the American eating style and food-production patterns. Fast Food Nation is written by Eric Schlosser, he presents a perspective on the development of societies adapting to the way that food is produced. The quickly growing demand for hot, ready food was rising at substantial rates shortly after World War two. Schlosser states, “The McDonald brothers’ Speedee Service System revolutionized the restaurant business.” The McDonald brothers wanted to perfect the drive-in restaurant business and started their very own walk-up restaurant. They sold burgers, fries, and soft drinks that were available almost before the customer ordered. By increasing the demand for fast food, supplies began to be
This article shows which organs and human activity systems are under the effect of fast food. It likewise portrays this effects given such definitive sources as American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print. While I was looking at the cover of the book, I noticed that it included the words “All American Meal”, and I wondered what that meant. For me when I hear those word I picture a McDonald’s, or any other fast food restaurant. Why is that? Is it because the United States comes in at 12th for the most obese country, with 35% of the population in overweight (Worldatlas). Or is it because we have made a name for ourselves, by being the country that consumes the most fast food (Economist)? In the first chapter of the book The American Way, Schlosser is disscussing various fast foods we eat such as McDonald 's, Domino 's, and describes how fast food has impacted American lives, such as obesity in all age groups due to the appeals to younger children. He talks about the McDonald brothers and Carl Karcher and how they established McDonald 's and Carl 's Jr.
Knowing what is in your fast food might make you think twice the next time you devour it. As the rise of the fast food nation in America has increased to an all-time high, so has the weight and waists of Americans all around the country. Not only has the United States grown to love the acquired taste of greasy golden fries and juicy burgers, it has also grown ignorant to the way their food is prepared. In the novel, “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”(2002), by Eric Schlosser, he makes compelling points in his position against the fast food industry.
People today believe that the government is supposed to eliminate any possible danger from the food they consume, but that is not the case. In the book Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of The All-American Meal written by Eric Schlosser, he discusses numerous problems with food production. Some of these issues are discussed in the “Epilogue”, “What’s In Meat”, and “Most Dangerous Job” chapters where Schlosser elaborates on the government’s role and how workers are mistreated. In the article, “U.S. Meatpacking Under Fire: Human Rights Group Calls for Line Speed Reduction, ERGO Standards,” it explains how the working conditions in the meat packaging industry are hazardous and are violations of basic human rights. Although workers are affected by the government’s role in the food industry, consumers are affected as well. The consequences of the lack of governmental oversight, like food contamination and others, are discussed in the film Food Inc. “Escaping the Regulatory Net: Why Regulatory Reform Can Fail Consumers”, an academic journal written by Henry Rothstein, explains how “putting consumers first” is difficult for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to accomplish because with consumer’s interests that means regulatory reforms are most likely going to fail.
The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food
Fast food, the highly addictive food that many people can not go a day without eating. In our society today fast food has become the “norm” when we are looking for something to eat, causing our society to accept it as something to be eaten ALL the time. Fast food can affect our bodies more than most people comprehend. According to the United States Healthful Food Council, they say 8 out of 10 people eat fast food monthly and half say they even eat it weekly. By ingesting these large amounts of fatty, salty, and sweet foods, children and adults are becoming increasingly obese. Fast food causes long term negative health effects and is a direct contributor to America 's increasing obesity problems.
Today’s society and culture is becoming more and more McDonaldized. This paper will illustrate what the process of McDonaldization is. In addition, this paper will show how today’s society has adapted to this process along with using the theories from Max Weber.