The Fast Food Industry There are many arguments whether we are better off living with or without the existence of fast food. It is true that there are many reasons why it is good having fast food chains around us, but at the same time, it isn’t that good either. In this article, I will talk you through whether society is better or worse off with the existence of fast food. The example of fast food chain I would be using for this article will be McDonalds. McDonalds is an example of globalization. They have stores everywhere around the world. They’re not far from having one at the corner of each block. But how are they able to open as many stores as this? The reason is because with each store, they earn a large sum of profit, from having many people visit their stores. The more people that visit their stores, the more they are able to sell, which leads to an increase in profits and their share values also go up at the same time. With all their profits, they are able to expand their business and open more stores in more countries worldwide, hence the term globalization. But how do McDonalds actually get so many customers? They rely a lot on advertisement. Advertisement brings in customers, but it is not the pure reason. Customers are captivated to many things that McDonalds endeavour them. Some of these include having an open air play area for children so that they can play while having their meals. With a play area, parents need not worry that their children will be complaining and fussy from boredom after a meal. Is having a play area just a pretext for McDonalds despite the fact that health pro... ... middle of paper ... ...hut down from the lack of clientele. Other impacts include environmental and cultural impacts. With every serving of McDonalds comes litter, especially cartons, paper and cows. If you are wondering why I put cows down, well that is because you need a lot of cows to produce burgers, and believe it or not, but it actually destroys the environment. Cultural impacts are from globalisation which damages local and national cultures. To end up this analysis, I would have to say that the fast food culture is worse off for our society, as it doesn’t really do us any good, especially for our health, because the more McDonalds we eat, the higher the mortality and diseases rate, but also a major increase in an obese population. Not only does McDonalds harm our health, it also wastes our money from the food and also health bills!
Fast food nation is divided into two sections: "The American Way", which brings forth the beginnings of the Fast Food Nation within the context of after World war two America; and "Meat and Potatoes", which examines the specific mechanizations of the fast-food industry, including the chemical flavoring of the food, the production of cattle and chickens, the working conditions of beef industry, the dangers of eating this kind of meat, and the international prospect of fast food as an American cultural export to the rest of the world.
Fast food chains, the main problem responsible for multiple health problems around the world has still not changed any of their ingredients or additives to make a positive change. Fast food meals have been linked to multiple health problems. Such health problems like heart diseases, which is the leading cause of death of men and woman in the United States. Fast food has also been linked to obesity, due to the high amount of fat and carbohydrates found in their meals. An equivalent aspect is the additives added to fast food like trans-fat and sodium, which are both linked to leading to multiple health problems. Yet fast food chains have not done anything in regards to all of this health problems. Fast food chains are still harming the public
The book, “Fast Food Nation”, by Eric Schlosser is all about how eating and food-production have changed since World War II. It also focused on how a small hotdog and hamburger stand in California spread worldwide and turned into a lifestyle of instant food. In the book, the author went into the deepest details about the emergence of fast food industry – from the early pioneers of the business, to the processing of the food, and even to the success of the business.
News Article Analysis on the Fast Food Industry: The controversy of toys in the fast food industry.
Fast Food Nation is a book written to let the people of the world know, “ what lies behind the shiny, happy surface of every fast food transaction” (Schlosser, p. 16). In the book Eric Schlosser spends many chapters talking about where the meat comes from and how it is processed. Schlosser goes through the process of how the cattle are brought to the meat packing industry and how it is turned into the hamburgers that we eat everyday. While talking about the meat packing industry, Schlosser also discusses the poor working conditions. The meat packing plants are unsanitary, low paying, and a dangerous place to work. After reading this book my opinion is that some actions need to be taken in order to change the
The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.
According to Eric Schlosser, an Oxford graduate and investigative journalist, fast food stands began to pop up in the 1920s “with a handful of modest hot dog and hamburger stands in southern California” (3). Yet, their rapid explosion didn’t come until the 1950s. Several factors contributed to this growth of fast food, including America’s love for the automobile, the construction of a highway system, the development of suburban communities, and the baby boom after World War II. In their article “Postwar America at Home, 1945-1960,” historians Gary B. Nash et al observe that, “The postwar era of the 1950s was one of the most prosperous in American history; it was fueled by wartime savings, favorable business conditions fostered by governments at all levels, and federal dollars in the form of the GI Bill, defense spending, and highway construction.” The constructions of new highways lead to the construction of more automobiles. With an increasing population due to the baby boom, housing was becoming limited. The problem of limited housing was addressed by the GI Bill, enabling families to acquire loans to build new houses. With farther away areas becoming more accessible by cars and highways, suburban communities were able to develop. Finally, life in suburban communities meant a reliance on the automobile to get everywhere. The car culture exploded, and life came to be centered on the automobile.
In the United States there has been an expanding issue of obesity since the 1990's; and only until now with the growing trend of gym memberships for personal fitness has the epidemic been mitigated. The wide availability of fast food and second kitchens has led to high obesity rates. However, the availability is only the product of intense consumer demands. Fast food manufacturers would only supply ridiculously unhealthy food if and only if the consumers had a high demand for such garbage. As was seen in the 1920's when alcohol was banned in the United States due to violence arising from alcoholics – the people that wanted alcohol still found ways to attain alcohol through the black market, the underground liquor market led my Al Capone. People are born free and thus behave free, a person's desires are ultimately innate, and fast food manufacturers only attempt to satisfy the implacable desire for fast food – not force the consumer into eating fast food or even buying it. Fast food manufacturers only sell the food, not shove it down people's throats; thus, fast-food chains and food manufacturers should bear no blame for the country's weight problem. There is much controversy however, the preface to “Does Advertising Exploit Children?” predicts that “banning fast-food commercials could trim down the number of overweight American children by 18 percent” (“Preface to...”). This statistic is only a prediction, and 18 percent does not sound promising. There is however a promising solution that requires Governmental assist; the article “We need a Fat Tax” advises that “The Government should implement a graduated tax system on foods high in fat to counteract the obesity epidemic” (Karlin). The suggestion is based on the premise that the ...
Recently, in Las Vegas a customer at the Heart Attack Grill suffered from an abrupt heart attack while eating a 6,000 calorie “Triple Bypass Burger”. In the restaurant the staff are portrayed as doctors and nurses. The owner, Jon Basso, claims that no one should tell them how to eat especially government organizations("Heart Attack Grill Owner Defends His Restaurant"). However, incidents like these should help us become aware of the serious consequences that result from these choices. The issue of whether we should allow an outside source to regulate, or influence personal dietary choices has been a debatable topic through the world recently. It is an important issue because it concerns the fundamentals of moral and economic questions about the way the government has informed and protected the people. A variety of different arguments have been put forward about this issue. The fast food industry, since its inception in the 1950s has grown to be a powerful and at times unregulated entity; subsequently, its low priced food items that appeal to most Americans is the reason that it is causing medical issues and rising obesity rates.
The fast food industry spent $4.6 billion to advertise mostly unhealthy products, and children and teens remained key audiences for that advertising, according to a new report by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The food industry has developed different marketing tactics to target children and teens. They are able to advertise through the use of TV, the Internet, social media, and mobile devices. I wanted to address how online advertisements affects teens and children throughout the use of social media. Many companies today communicate and interact with their customers throughout the use of social media, the fast-food industry is no different. Many teens today spend most of their time online, where they are exposed to many types
The fast food industry is impacted by factors as tax, interest rates, exchange rates, and labor market. During a recession, unemployment and high gas prices factor in to consumer spending on food. The industry receives a majority of its revenue from foreign markets. The profits are converted to U.S dollar. The exchange rate plays a major role if the dollar appreciates against other currencies. For example, if the dollar appreciates higher than the euro, then the industry profits will decrease due to the exchange rate. Domestically, fast food chains are expected to increase at a rate of 1.7% per year (Zwolak, 2010). New entrants forecasted to grow at a rate of 1.3% (Zwolak, 2010). For the most part, fast food chains will be opening new restaurants faster than new entrants coming into the
Cows are naturally very gentle and calm creatures. These smart and sweet natured animals have been known to go to great lengths to escape slaughterhouses. More than forty-one million of these sensitive animals suffer and die a painful death each year in the United States. When cows are still very young they are burned with hot irons, there testicles are torn or cut off, all without painkillers. Most beef cattle are born in one state, live in another, and are slaughtered in another. The cows who survive the gruesome transportation process are shot in the head with a bolt gun, hung upside down by there legs, and taken onto the killing floor where there throats
Many customers will buy more package food in the future as it is cheaper and more convenience because customers can buy it in high volume and keep it for the long time.
It is not a surprise that fast food has become a way of life in America. Every day about a quarter of the adult population n United States visits the fast food restaurant. Every month about 90 percent of children aged 3-9 visit McDonald's. According to Schlosser, Americans spent more than $110 billion a year on the fast food. In his book "Fast Food Nation" Eric Schlosser is not chiefly interested in the consumption of fast food, but his primary objective is to explore manufacturing starting with the unemployment. His book deals with United States politics and raises many social issues.
Competition Among Fast Food Chains MARKETING INFORMATION NEEDED FOR THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY. To begin with, for the fast food industry around the world, the leading fast food chains marketing information is wrapped around convenience location, changing preferences, quality of food, pricing of fast food, potential customers, age of the customers, menu selection and diversification and last of all superior service. From a marketing perspective, location for the fast food service to the potential customers is most important, according to Maritz Marketing Research. A recent study showed the location has to be convenient. The analysis said that adults under the age of 65 prefer a convenient location for their fast food.