The Fast Food Epidemic

6600 Words14 Pages

INTRODUCTION

A car turns into a lane and pulls up in front of a small, black voice box. It stops and waits for a voice to greet them “Hello, what would you like to order?” The car then drives a few feet and pulls up to a window that hands him a greasy brown bag, with an obnoxious logo of the restaurant. The aroma of oily french fries that have been sitting under infrared heating lamps soon fills the inside of the car. The enticing smell fatty cheeseburgers begins to make the driver salivate, as he can’t wait until he gets home to eat his dinner, after a long day at the office. This is an all familiar scene of what everyone has experienced in the past or even now on a daily basis. This scenario illustrates what an average American goes through to eat a meal based on the choice that they make to purchase it as a fast food chain. Fast food seems to have become a staple of the average American’s diet. Major corporations spend billions on advertising to target consumers of all ages, and this is where psychology of food branding comes into play. The addiction to fast food has brought an epidemic to our nation’s population and we need to practice healthier eating habits in order to reverse the effects.

MAD ABOUT MCDONALD'S: THE ADDICTION TO FAST FOOD

Fast food restaurants are purposely built in areas that are populated and around other major community areas such as schools, churches, office buildings, business plazas and shopping centers. The reason is obvious that where ever more people are present or pass by, the likelihood of finding fast food chains to be easier. The negative effects of the decision of major fast food corporations to build their restaurants within walking distance of schools and playgrounds is that the younger generation of children are exposed to poor eating choices. The meals provided through public schools in cafeterias are not all that healthy if you take closer observations of what they are serving. Food items such as chocolate milk that is high in sugar content, chicken nuggets that are fried and reheated, and burritos that are microwaved in large batches are not typical things that are considered healthy for children. The foods served in school cafeterias don’t even sound appetizing, so one can imagine why the majority of students would resort to eating fast food after school. According to a tes...

... middle of paper ...

...ction Center. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. .

Poundstone, William. "Decoding Fast Food Menus." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 28 Dec. 2008. Web. 2012. .

"Rants, Rules & Recipes." Rants Rules Recipes. WordPress, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

SuperSize Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. Lionsgate Films, 2000. DVD

"The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity." The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity. American Psychological Association, 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. .

Tuttle, Brad. "Big Chain Restaurant Trends: Hot Menu Items, Hot Marketing Strategies." Business Money Big Chain Restaurant Trends Hot Menu Items Hot Marketing Strategies Comments. TIME INC., 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. .

Open Document