The fast food industry causes many people to discuss whether or not it is beneficial to our society. There are many pros and cons to having so many fast food chains in our current environment.
Over the five years to 2015, revenue is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.9% to $574.3 billion, which includes a 4.2% increase in 2015. From now to the year 2020 it is forecasted that the industry will continue to move forward.
“The health risks resulting from consuming fast food products are a threat to healthy life. A prime example is obesity. Obesity can result from consumption of fast food. Fast food products are normally made from fats with high saturation and if the calories gained from it are not worked off, then a person can become obese. Notably even small fast food quantities contain high levels of calories”(Alexandria 66).
The Fast Food industry has grown worldwide over the past five years despite being battered by a weakened global economy and society 's increasing awareness of the health risks associated with a diet high in fat, salt and sugar. The industry has attempted to answer the complaints with regards to what consumers want and this has supported revenue growth. Over the past five years to 2015, revenue is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.9% to $574.3 billion, which includes a 4.2% increase in 2015. From now to the year 2020 it is estimated that the industry will continue to move forward regardless of its negative effects. Global
Fast food has turned into a genuine fundamental of our everyday life and made a religion of establishments that reaches out to the millions of Americans across the country. The Fast Food industry in a few eyes has been one of the sharpest developments this world has seen. It has been driven by our stomachs and our wallets for 40 to 50 years it's as yet developing to this date. The man who make-believe it can be known as the best representative, this nation has ever observed. The Fast Food Industry is big to the point that it has influenced our wellbeing, changed our way of life, and misshaped our territory as far back as the very first moment.
Fast food has a harmful effect on society because it can cause obesity. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry believes obesity “Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise.” (parag. 1).The causing and treating of obesity is complex but it is the most recognizable disease. Consistently eating fast food and a poor can lead to obesity in anyone. The risks of obesity include an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, fast food “Studies have shown that over the past four decades, consumption of food eaten away from home has also risen alarmingly” (parag. 8). This means that fast food is high in fat, sugar, salt, carbs, calories, saturated and trans fats. This type of eating leads to a higher body mass index or gained weight. Children and adolescents are at a
Consuming fast food is also associated with poor health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.5
"We provide food that customers love, day after day after day. People just want more of it”(Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald’s). Coronary Artery Disease is a type of heart disease and the most common cause of heart attacks. Plaque from eating unhealthy foods, builds up in the arteries, the arteries harden and begin to become narrow and can cause chest pain and heart attacks. Fast food popularity is the amount of customers a fast food establishment has and retains. Popularity is important to fast food establishments because it’s what keeps the company going. The environment is affected by the fast food industry because of the amount of pollution and trash they produce on a daily basis. The fast food industry has a harmful affect on society.
This book discusses the fast-food industry and seeks to describe the impact of the industry on the U.S. economy and society. Also, it talks about the guys who has been investigating the fast food industry for many years. From his broad research, he has uncovered an abundance of little-known, frequently unsettling truths about the fast food industry.
In today's generation, healthy and unhealthy food plays a huge role in one's life. Especially when it comes to budgeting your expenses. Comparing the Guatemala and North Carolina family, you can tell many differences by looking at the images. It's obvious that the family from Guatemala eats healthy and the other doesn’t. Fast food has changed the world we live in now. Many years ago, people ate healthily and spent less money on junk food because they spent most of the time cooking their own food. Over the years, the production of fast food has increased tremendously in America. 77.3 percent of industries have taken over the production of fast food. Agriculture is one
The story of the fast food industry and its effect on the world is well told in the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Schlosser makes the claim that, what started out as a special treat for the kids eventually ended up defining a way of life. During a brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped transform not only the American diet, but also our countryside, economy, workforce, and popular culture. The book thoroughly describes how important the two factors of money and power are in today's society. The book clearly establishes the broader thesis that as consumers, we should know what we eat even if it makes us uncomfortable by the knowledge.
In the last decade, obesity has become an out of control epidemic. America has been ranked number one in a top ten list of the world 's most obese countries. Fast food restaurants are one of the main causes due to the unhealthy, addictive food it provides to its customers. Since fast food franchises have been expanding at such a rapid rate, it now makes it harder to live a healthy dietary lifestyle. Fast food has affected many societies in positive and negative ways. Its innovation prolonged these effects and may be worse to certain societies from a health and social standpoint. Due to the increase in popularity of the fast food norm, obesity percentages have risen, along with other health-related illness and overall activity in the daily
Fast food has without a doubt changed the way people eat in America, and is partly to blame for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. According to Murray (40) more than 300, 000 every year are related to obesity. Individuals should know what they are consuming and how it is prepared or made; they should spend their hard earned money on restaurants that make healthy food. So why is fast food unhealthy? Fast food may look tasty and appealing, however, they contain a myriad of hidden health hazards that are dangerous if consumed in large quantities and are a primary cause of obesity, particularly in children. The effects of eating fast food on a person’s health are: increase in blood pressure, a delay in the metabolic rate, increase in the levels of bad cholesterol, destabilization of blood sugar levels, and weakening of the immune system. Furthermore, the effects of fast food include obesity, nutritional deficiencies, and cardiac problems among other health hazards. No one is forcing individuals to eat fast food, but the fact is that fast food restaurants will change when consumers demand changes. Even if three percent of Americans complained about fast food, it would make a substantial drop in
"We don 't walk. We overeat because we 've made it easy to overeat. We have fast-food joints on every corner. By the way, the 'we ' is all of us. It 's not the government. It 's all of us doing this together.”(Mehmet Oz). Fast food has been affecting Americans lives since the 1919’s and 1920’s where the first fast food restaurant originated. They were called A&W in 1919 and White Castle in 1921. More than 3 million cases of obesity in America happen a year. Over time the frequency of fast food restaurants increased and became more common in people’s lives. Big fast food franchises such as McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy 's, and Pizza Hut have changed the world and not in a great way. Over 3 million cases of diabetes happen in a year and an estimated 17.5 million people died from CVDs in 2012, representing 31% of all global deaths. Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Fast food is food that can be prepared quickly. It is easily and quickly sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken home. Obesity is the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. Cardiovascular conditions are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Many people suffer from these diseases and it becomes a negative impact in their lives. Fast food causes diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular conditions.
Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children ages four to nineteen eat from a fast food restaurant this adds on about six extra pounds per child every year and increases their risk of obesity (Fast Food). In my research I learned a lot about the health risks that come with eating fast food. Fast food causes childhood obesity rates in America to increase because of its convenience, ingredients, and lack of telling people what is in the food.
Michael Pollan (2010) stated in his essay “Food Fight” that, “Cheap food has become and indispensable pillar of the modern economy” (p.513). This is true especially with those that work in the fast food industry because they do not get paid that much. Cheaper food is what they can afford so that is what they buy instead of healthy food. Astyk and Newton (2009) state in their essay “The rich get richer, the poor go hungry” that “Multinational food companies have also worked their way into the food budgets of the poor” (p.517). When consuming fast food, “It turns out there are significant costs-to the environment, to public health, to the public purse…” (Pollan, 2010, p.513). If there were more fast food restaurants that offered healthy food with the same price as fast food there would not be an obesity problem. That would affect the farmers or people selling the crops and food that is healthy. Buying fast food is cheaper, but it will cost you more in the long run with your
The fast food industry provides quick, cheap, and easy access to foods that in the customers opinion, is very delicious, and affordable, however this food which millions of people around the world are constantly consuming, could actually cause major health problems, and weight gain in the long run. Major fast food companies throughout the world know what they are doing when it comes to marketing towards all types of people. Some people will find numerous different things to blame for the epidemic of fast food making individuals overweight. In recent research on, or discussions of the fast food industry having an effect on people's health, a controversial issue has been raised, and that is the fact that this problem affects not only
Global influences of the fast food industry are shown in the health problems in society today. The cheap production of meat and grains for the fast food industry cause harm to the environment, humans, and animals. The fast food that is consumed is not only bad for the health of people but also for the environment. As food provides more than just sustenance; it increasingly has come to shape and mediate our understanding of ourselves and our culture.
Tons of negative health effects come from eating fast food. First, obesity is a huge problem in America. The major cause of obesity comes from eating too much fast food. The obesity rates have skyrocketed over the years. Over seventy percent of Americans are overweight or obese. An author elaborated more by expressing their facts and arguing that, “Excess weight in children is a significant global public health issue: 10% of school aged children, and a further 22 million children over 5 years old estimated to be overweight or obese. Child obesity rate levels are rising across the globe”(Kelly 1). The concerns Kelly states specifically supports my point that obesity has gotten out of hand in the U.S. People