Fast Food Case Study

Fast Foods: An Appeal for an Extensive Ban

Introduction

Considering that employees are the principal value creators in organizations, government employees therefore represent the backbone of the national economy while children seeking an education to join that economy represent the future of the national economy. As such, any threats to the employees such as those represented by unhealthy consumption of fast foods potentially derail the national economy which the government should work very hard to ensure that it is not adversely affected especially by outcomes like obesity. This is confirmed by Frumkin in a report for Nation’s Restaurant News to be one of the factors that have led governments to ban fast food restaurants operating near schools

In relation to this, effective student learning or carrying out various activities at work require that these students and workers be able to focus and concentrate on what they are learning and doing, which fast foods consumption inhibits. This is because digestion and burning off of fast foods by the body takes over five hours, meaning that consuming fast foods will inhibit the students’ concentration in their class work which will disrupt their learning and consequently lead to academic failure in the long run. For workers, the outcomes may be more severe given that some workplaces involve utilization of tools capable of maiming others through accidents or inability to finish work according to deadlines which eventually affects overall work productivity. Carbohydrates in French fries and hamburger buns may negatively affect one’s mood while other healthier choices with low glycemic counts can positively affect the mood and enhance cognitive function, with Allen reporting that many nations are banning fast foods (18). The author believes that only a ban, not only at a national level but also globally, will end the negative impacts of cheap fats present in fast foods which is estimated at prevention of 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths every year (Allen 18-9). This is exacerbated by the high availability of fast foods near schools where they are consumed by a lot of people especially disadvantaged children. As Arcan and others aver, ‘high availability of fast foods inclusive of sugar sweetened beverages is associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors by students, which has negative implications considering these schools enroll students at high risk of academic failure’