In society today, the fast food industry is a major component of the culture and mainstream media discusses the topic frequently. As Americans become more obese, the amount of fast food consumed has increased. In Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser, he covers the darker side of the seemingly harmless industry. Specifically, in the chapter entitled "What's in the Meat," he covers the horrors behind foodborne illnesses, the problems with the lack of regulations, and the nutritional content of unhealthy fast food. As this type of food can be extremely dangerous, there should be a social stigma; however, even as the general population knows that it is unhealthy, there is no stigma. While Schlosser is correct in his argument that the meat …show more content…
In chapter nine, entitled "What's in the Meat," Schlosser explains the horrors of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and other pathogens, the fact that most companies only cared about profit, not sanitation or health, and the actual levels of bacteria present in processed food compared to other surfaces. Foodborne pathogens, in general, have caused "heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological problems, autoimmune diseases, and kidney damage.” He also elaborated on specific cases of E. coli. Nancy Donley’s son Alex got E. coli after eating a hamburger. The Shiga toxins started to …show more content…
Most consumers do not have the means to know how meat is processed from a living animal into different cuts of meat. Also, when an outbreak happens, the public needs to know where the treat is at and how that threat came to be. For example, in chapter nine, Schlosser discussed an incident with a six-year-old Alex that died from E coli. If the public was told about the possible outbreak, then the impact the pathogens had on individuals could have been less. Overall, the public needs to be informed about possible outbreaks and how to avoid getting sick from foodborne
Through the course of reading Fast Food Nation my opinions were swayed; when the gross, the bad and the ugly were revealed. Schlosser gives the disturbing details about the food companies greed, power and villenes. Schlosser uses rhetorical tenet to make his argument powerful. He opens the reader's eyes as to how corrupt the meat industry actually is. America has truly become
It is hard to imagine that there was once a time when meat and meat-like products were butchered and processed in unsanitary conditions, but there was such a time and it was so bad that Congress had to pass the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 to stop these unsanitary conditions. In this paper I will argue why the passage of the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was such a good idea.
When most people eat at fast food establishments, they do not think about what exactly is going into their bodies, but Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson want to change that. Their combined efforts result in the book Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food, which exploits the gruesome truths behind fast food. Schlosser and Charles begin their nonfiction work by explaining how fast food restaurant were created. Then, they transition into revealing what was changed in the process of establishing the fast food industry. Their discoveries occur in most fast food restaurant, but they focus on the corruption in McDonald’s tendencies.
Eric Schlosser’s novel Fast Food Nation provides a deep insight into the systematic and unified world of the fast food industry. From the title alone, readers develop a clear sense of the author’s intention for writing this book. Schlosser’s purpose for writing the novel is to raise awareness about the impact and consequences of fast food industries on society. The purpose of the novel is achieved by the author’s use of personal stories, and by relating fast food to various aspects of society.
“OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society”, Schlosser writes. Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser, includes topics about fast food chains impact on the community, jobs relating to fast food, and health issues. Fast Food Nation uses logic to appeal to the aspects of fast food chains by giving relatable examples from the devastating effects on the communities to the millions of jobs offered for our country. Moreover, fast food chains have contributed positivity to society, but with dire consequences.
The book Poisoned by Jeff Benedict was not only enjoyable but also has a lot of information concerned food safety. The author writes chronologically a story about the Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that took place in Washington State on 1993 because that event change the way American eating habits. The outbreak was confirmed by Dr, Phil Tarr after he was receiving many patient who were children under 10 years old, and had the same symptoms. The number of patient and the brutality of the symptoms leaded to Dr, Tarr to contact an old friend that they used to work together particularly in E.coli. Tarr's friend was John Kobayashi who has the high position in the Department on the public heath Washington State Public Department (Benedict, 2011).
He wants to show a personal account of the difficulties that everyday people endure trying to accommodate different aspects of a fast food meal possible to the consumer. By stressing this, Schlosser also shows the need for the sanitation of fast food to be dealt seriously. He directs these ideas towards the less informed of American society. Schlosser wants to reach out to those that wish to become more informed of the fast food aspect of America, and to Americans, fast food has become a normal aspect of life. Even Professer Pothukuchi, of Wayne State University agrees that “fast food is destroying us: individuals, communities, work and family life, and indeed, our very connections with the world” (Pothukuchi 1). This book is intending the audience to steer away from what seems harmless, because fast food seems innocuous, when in reality is the opposite.
In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to
Eric Schlosser is one of the authors who describes the fast food phenomenon in his book Fast Food Nation. According to him, the biggest problem is the fast food industry that is increasing day by day. Fast food has affected not only the restaurants and the market, but also all the sectors of people's life, from the professional life to the personal one. This affirmation is sustained by Schlosser's statement: "Fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society. " ( Schlosser 3 ) The fast food industry has got into institutions and parts of the world that no one believed would be affected. Moreover, the power of fast food can be seen by taking a look at the American individual, who gives fast food different
Corn is the number one grain used to feed animals for slaughter. Feeding cows corn instead of their natural diet lead to the unintentional creation of 157H7 E. coli, a deadly bacteria that can kill. The film reveals how food standards have dropped, with only 9,164 safety inspections from the FDA each year as compared to over 50,000 in 1972. The food industry has become consolidated to the point of a few companies having a great deal of power and influence via the government. The USDA is no longer able to shutdown plants with contaminated meat. A bill titled “Kevin’s Law” had the intent of changing that, but, after 6 years, the bill still has not been passed. Food companies have made some attempts to reduce E. coli by cleaning their meats in an ammonia solution. However, unhealthy food is being subsidized and contributing to American obesity and the rise of type 2 diabetes in adolescents.
Schlosser also provides the facts of Salmonella appearing in the cooking of the infamous greasy meals, “A tiny uncooked particle of hamburger meat can contain enough of this pathogen to kill you.”(201). Schlosser’s verification of insecurity in the daily meals American’s consume can tug of the heart strings of the readers. Fast food and its eye opening facts is a reminder to the audience that not only are they hurting themselves, but that the effects are also affecting the family members and the ones who care most about the individual. What’s in the meat is not only a major concern, but also a major safety issue.
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 this passage from the introduction, Eric Schlosser directly states the problem. Meanwhile, he hints at the dire consequences that the consumption of fast food might have by describing how the consumers have no idea where their food comes from or how it was made. He tries to scare readers from eating fast food by
The meat industry today is not what it was nearly a century ago. While improvements are thought to have been made, an ever changing society has brought upon new problems that have been piled on to the previously existing ones. While these problems are not like those found in The Jungle, they do parallel how by exposing what is going on in the meat industry; new regulations would be the answer to the noted problems. The increased demand for meat has made it a rushed mutated production instead of a means to raise livestock for consumers. Taking into consideration the demand for cheap meat that will be used for in quick and high demanded products such as frozen and fast food, this demand of meat has greatly skyrocketed. Animals whose sole
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.