Some people would argue that McDonald’s fries are the Holy Grail of French fries. Ray Croc, one of the founders of McDonald’s wrote in his autobiography that the French fry was “almost sacrosanct for me” (Schlosser 50). What was it that made their fries the leader in fast food? In the early years, it was the way they were fried that gave them this intriguing flavor. As time progressed, in the mid 60’s, they began to use frozen fries to cut cost, and people noticed. In the 90’s, consumers began to become a little more aware about their dietary intake. They criticized not just McDonalds, but the entire food industry. They wanted to know what was in the food they were consuming, and how it was prepared. This in turn, caused McDonald’s and …show more content…
Flavors that are there, concocted like a witches’ potion, with ingredients that are almost as hard to pronounce as they are to make. Sadly, the FDA does not require these companies to disclose these ingredients if they are considered safe, or GRAS, “generally recognized as safe” (Schlosser 54). So, the consumer continues to buy, either not realizing or not caring what they are consuming. Then there is the secrecy. Almost as if they are working on a highly classified drug that will end all diseases. Why the secrecy? Is it because they know if the public got wind of it they might boycott their product? Or is it that these chemicals are slowly killing the consumer and that must be kept secret? These scientist, or flavorist, are highly trained in their field. If they can turn a chemical into a cookie, why then, can’t they produce the same thing with natural herbs? With 1.4 billion annual revenues, could this be corporate greed?
I understand that as individuals we have the choice to consume whatever is appealing to us. Sometimes we choose food for convenience, we are in a hurry, while other times maybe it’s because we are not educated to the facts. But the fact of the matter is, food can taste good without lacing it
McDonalds paid close attention to popular culture and what the mass majority of people desired at periodic times and continuously innovated and changed its menu to cater to the needs of the public at that time.
He was right, at least after awhile. Simplot's next step in his riches was determining what foods housewives would want to put in refrigerators. Due to this, he assembled a team of chemists to develop a product that would later become known as the frozen french fry. He wanted a cheap, frozen fry that was just as delicious as an unfrozen one but without the hassle of preparation. His chemists experimented with many things until finally reaching a breakthrough, which would begin to be sold in 1953. Although sales were disappointing at first, Simplot kept at it. He went to Ray Kroc, the man who made McDonald's so successful, and offered to build a new factory to make McDonald's french fries using his frozen fries. Kroc agreed but with no long-term commitment included, so that Kroc could drop out of the agreement if it went sour. McDonald's began selling the fries, to which customers were not noticing a difference in taste. The difference in production price made the fries extremely profitable, even more than their burgers, which allowed Simplot to be the main supplier for McDonald's fries. Within a decade after this arrangement, McDonald's restaurants quadrupled in quantity and was booming with income.
The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent
Getting fit and losing weight has always been the huge craze of New Year’s Resolutions. But has the thought that ever crossed the minds of these motivated individuals that this process may be made easier by eating real food. As Schlosser begins to explain how silent the flavor industry is about the truth, he adds that the industry believes they are “protecting the reputations of beloved brands” because “fast food chains… would like the public to believe that the flavors of their food somehow originate in their restaurant
With concerns of our day to day living we do not have enough time and budget to be choosy of the type of food or the nutritional value of it, what we think of nowadays is just to have something to satisfy our hunger without considering the nutrients that our body needs each day. When we hear diet nowadays often we see it as losing weight by means of controlling food intake, but the truth is diet could also mean eating nutritious foods to supplement our body’s needs of nutrients and the type of foods that we are going to consume.
In the excerpt “Why the Fries Taste So Good” by Eric Schlosser, Schlosser deeply examines the process of one individual farmer and his process, not to mention takes it as far as going to the International Fragrance and Flavor facilities to see what truly does make the fries taste so good. He does a good job of hitting each individual appeal as a writer in order for us as readers to accept the information he’s handing out. Even in Ian Brailsford’s review of Schlosser’s excerpt, he finds little if any opposition whatsoever. At one point he even says, “By focusing on Ray Kroc’s empire McDonald’s – America’s biggest employer and real estate owner – Schlosser is covering well-travelled academic terrain” (Brailsford 118.)
There are many things wrong with our food system but one of the principal problems is us and our decisions. Wendell Berry who is a farmer and environmental activist wrote in the article The Pleasures of Eating about his theory of eating responsibly which included his opinion on food and the influence others have on what type of food we consume. In his article he addresses the problem with the industries’ influence on the quality of what we eat and the role the consumer has in this process. He states that we cannot be free if our decisions are influenced by others and all we do is agree to what they tell us we should.
Approximately ten thousand processed food products are introduced every year in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration does not require flavor companies to disclose the ingredients other additives so long as all the chemicals are considered by the agency to be GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe)” (Schlosser 122-125). With the use of flavor add-ins the fast food industry is been able to make their food cheaper to re-create the same taste we are used to. The author use of logos in the novel only allows for the facts to be stated and
We all know that hamburger does not go well if it does not have fries. This company provides a lot of fries to McDonald’s restaurant.
The big names use things like high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and phosphoric acid to replace more costly ingredients like cane sugar, real extract, and natural juice. High fructose corn syrup is an incredibly low-buck additive that gives a sweet, refreshing taste. This has opened the floodgates to large companies which are now using it for just about anything these days. This in turn lowers the cost of the final product you see on the shelves. Your body can never deplete the MSG you consume. It will build and build forever. Phosphoric acid is known to soften bones and teeth. There is little warning through advertising about the long term effects of these man-made ingredients. We need to increase awareness of the proven dangerous ingredients companies are using in their products. Our government is allowing this to happen, thus diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart problems continue to develop amongst not only adults, but the young generation as well. These quick and easy snacks are slowly killing
It was designed for quick service, yet having great food to eat. That right there, will come back years later to haunt Americans. With a small menu of only 9 items, there was one food item that stuck out like a sore thumb when it came to the sales charts. That item would be the delicious fifteen cent hamburger. By 1958, McDonalds sold 100 million hamburgers. Over the years, they opened many more restaurants. Not only were they selling, they were expanding. Business was booming, so they had no choice rather than to expand their services. In the very next year, they had opened their 100th McDonalds restaurant. All this was in just four years, if time could tell how quickly things change, lets skip ahead another three years. The year 1962 truly marked an era of how Americans are today. Lazy and arrogant! A Denver, Colorado McDonalds introduced indoor seating for their McDonalds restaurant. This seems like everyday dining for most of everybody reading this. With just one food chain opening up, surely it could not be the only cause of obesity rates in the United States. Please remember, McDonalds is not the only fast food chain around. They inspired others along with their success. Burger King, Checkers, Hardees, Wendys and Sub Way are just a few example of fast food chains that have began to dominate the food industry.
McDonald's has had a global impact on the food industry. McDonald's developed a revolutionary idea known today as fast-food. This impact began in 1930 when Maurice and Richard McDonald left New Hampshire seeking to make a fortune in Hollywood, started up a drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino. Unlike so many other food-service operations at the time, McDonald's came up with new ideas that turned the usual slow paced dinner into a finely tuned engine.
Mcdonald’s knew that it would have been in pop culture when the legendary founder of the company, Ray Kroc , said “Mcdonald's was not into the hamburger business, but it in the people’s business” Kroc was saying that he believes in what the people want and mainly that's what pop culture is about. They use big graphics and flashy advertisements to give the people what they want. Mcdonald’s has become apart of culture for everybody.
Known as the fast-food icon around the world, McDonald’s French fries have taken the world by storm. In Eric Schlosser’s essay, “Why McDonald’s Fries Taste So Good”, he uses the popularity of McDonald’s French Fries to begin his essay and to effectively capture his audiences’ attention to make them realize that there is a problem with our favorite fast-food meals. What is really put into the foods we eat and why it smells and tastes so good, specifically McDonald’s French fries, is effectively answered in Schlosser’s essay. The reality of what is really going on behind the scenes of fast-food restaurants is revealed through Schlosser’s facts, intricate detail, and personal experiences to effectively come to the conclusion that processed foods are
Since Richard and Maurice McDonald founded in 1948, McDonald's has grown from a small restaurant in California into one of the most recognized brands in the world with a chain of outlets that spans the globe. For over 50 years, McDonald's defined the fast food industry while indelibly etching its golden arches logo on the face of both American and global culture through such icons as character Ronald McDonald and the Big Mac sandwich. Millions of people started their very first jobs at McDonalds while even more began to have their eating habits redefined by the chain. Concepts like the drive-thru window were introduced along with the Happy Meal for children in order to provide a fast, affordable, and enjoyable dining. Ray Kroc, saleman