The American Fast Food Industry

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Recommended: Three effects of the fast food industry

The fast food industry in America has many drawbacks at the cost of supplying food to the American population. Since many people are ignorant of the process their food goes through in order to become the edible meal they consume, American companies easily take advantage of them. In class, we discussed a “Food Bill of Rights”. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep the food industry safe for the American public and environment. The main focus of my “Food Bill of Rights” is to ensure the fast food industry has the American population’s best interest in mind when producing their food. Whenever we buy a product, we’re relying on both the company being honest with us about its contents as well as government regulations that do not always have the best interest of the consumer in mind. The first element to be included in my Food Bill of Rights is honesty. There are too many cases where American food has caused people to become sick and even caused fatalities because consumers do not know what they are eating. If you really look into the standards of what can be labeled as particular foods, the knowledge is really shocking. Consider the current policy of the United States Department of Agriculture; only 40% of beef is required for a company to label their products as such (Taco Bell’s Beef Problem). Further research shows the standards for meat in schools is lower than the standards for meat in fast food. Even with these outrageously low standards, there are still places to eat that don’t meet the requirements to label their products. Only a few years ago, Taco Bell was sued because they claimed their beef was 88% beef. However, when their meat was inspected it didn’t even make the required 40% minimum standard set by th... ... middle of paper ... ...anic natural foods but their organic food is very expensive. If we can make healthier food more affordable to the public this country obesity epidemic will go down. Works Cited Bacon, John. "Fast-food Workers Strike, Protest for Higher Pay." USA Today. Gannett, 05 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. Berman, Jillian. "Here's Why Fast Food Workers Are Striking This Week." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. Desk, News. "Food Safety News." Food Safety News. Marler Clark, Mar.-Apr. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Foodsafetynews.com Goyanes, Christina. "What's Really Inside Those McDonald's Chicken McNuggets?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. "Taco Bell’s Beef Problem: Convenience and the Value of Knowing What You’re Consuming." The Simple Dollar. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

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