| Fast Food Nation | |
by Matt T. Rosenberg
Journalist Eric Schlosser wrote an instantaneously popular book with Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal since the typical American eats three hamburgers and four orders of french fries each week. Fast Food Nation explores the darker side of the fast food industry with Upton Sinclair-like statements about worker conditions and the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of our meat processing plants and fast food restaurants.
The reader will be disturbed to discover the health violations and injuries that take place in meat processing plants. This, along with the plight of the worker who processes our fast food in the field, in the plant, and in the restaurant is a key theme for Schlosser. While this is Schlosser's first book, it's bound to make an impact. Schlosser lets his readers know about the power of the food industry of America and the weakness of the government agencies designated to protect the health of the citizens. It's shocking to discover how much clout the industry has when the U.S. government has the power to recall a defective toy but can't order the recall of deadly beef infected with E. coli.
In addition to the horrific stories of infected beef, worker injuries and their poverty, Schlosser provides a nice history of the McDonald's and Carl's Jr. fast food chains, telling us about their invention, development, and spread across the fruited plain. We also learn about the enormous impact companies like McDonald's have on the production of beef and potatoes in the country, as the nation's largest purchaser of each of these commodities.
Ultimately, Schlosser doesn't simply leave the reader scared and afraid of fast food, he provides suggestions of what can be done and what government can do to improve the state of the country's health by improving the standards of our meat (much lower standards that those of the European Union and some U.S. meat processing facilities do indeed produce meat for the EU so the standards are attainable). Unfortunately, the food industry continues to maintain tight control over their own legislation.
I do recommend Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal - it's a quick read of a problem that is helping to make our nation one of the most obese and unhealthy ever. The more who read it and do something about it, the more likely the problem will be solved.
February 2, 2001
