Assignment 2 Research Essay
Draft 2
The Fast Food Industry
SUNGD1403
2016/3/10
Abstract
The rapid development of world economies has been characterized by skyrocketing trend in consumption of fast foods. The causative variable for the surge in consumption of the said food is largely the need for instant gratification by most contemporary diners coupled with convenience, speed and ease of access associated with fast food industry which complements the need for most workers to save on time. Additionally, the paper looks into cross-sectional studies with regard to the existence of a causative correlation between the increase in the trend in consumption of fast food on one hand and increased obesity and metabolic syndrome on the other hand. Interestingly, this paper finds that most diners continue to feed on fast food consistently cognizant of its implications on their health notwithstanding. As a result, this paper calls for overhaul of policies governing the food industry and recommends internalization of the external and long-term costs of the negative implications of irresponsible consumption of fast food.
The Fast Food Industry
Rapid development of world economies over the past century has seen the unprecedented rise in the development of fast food industry. Fast food has formed the basis of most people’s daily bread. Even some people begin to choose fast food instead of the normal meals such as average restaurant meals and home-prepared meals. On the one hand, fast food is associated with relative cheapness and convenience. Accordingly, it has become more popular among office workers and students. These people often choose the fast food because they can easily access the food and save money and time. On the other hand, some people think fast food has been seriously affecting the health of people and becoming the dominant factor of adolescent obesity. Should the people blame unhealthy and adolescent obesity on the fast food industry? Why is the fast food being more popular even everybody knows fast food is unhealthy? Although some people choose the fast food instead of the home meals because they can save money and time, fast food has negative impacts on health and is the dominant factor of adolescent obesity. Moreover, fast food is associated with high stress levels among its users.
Increased consumption of fast food has been fueled by its relatively low pricing coupled with convenience and ease of access associated with it. For instance, it has been argued that a bag of French fries is costs less than a head of broccoli thus it is cheaper to “feed a family of four at McDonalds than to cook for them at home”. Therefore, the popular notion that fast food is cheaper whether it is a fact or a myth, is one of the reasons for increased consumption of fast foods as opposed to home-made meals or restaurant meals. Additionally, rigorous marketing by fast food firms is attributable for the increased trend in consumption of fast foods. The mode of branding and advertising adopted by such firms makes fast food appear so appealing to the consumers. More so, though obvious, the fact that fast food tastes sweeter gives credence to its increased consumption especially among children and adolescents. In addition, it has been argued that people have to eat huge volumes of it in order to feel satisfied. Another selling attribute of fast foods is the convenience associated with it. It is rapidly prepared and served immediately as opposed to an average restaurant meal whereby one has to order and wait for some time before it is served. This fact coupled with the need for instant gratification among most young people is responsible for increased consumption of fast foods. It is also the reason why most consumers comprise the working class due to time effectiveness associated with fast foods. Moreover, fast food is reputed for uniformity both in quality and packaging. According to Specter’s article Freedom From Fries, the “cheeseburgers you get at a McDonalds in Orlando are exactly the same ones you get at a McDonalds in San Francisco, Montreal or Little Rock.”. Therefore, it is clear that the value that people place on uniformity, speed and convenience has chiefly contributed to the increase in trend of consumption of fast food compared to home-made and restaurant meals.
As aforementioned, this paper takes the view that there exists a nexus between fast food and adolescent obesity. To this end, there seems to be a scholarly consensus. Particularly, various studies have been conducted and have successfully confirmed the hypothesis to the existence of a direct relationship between rising fast food consumption and prevalence of obesity among adolescents. For instance, a 2015-study carried out by Asghari, Yuzbashian, Mirmiran, Mahamoodi and Azizi on the association between fast food consumption and incidences of metabolic syndrome among children and adolescents confirms the existence of a direct causative correlation between “fast food consumption and increased risk of abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia” among the children and adolescents who are heavy consumers of fast food. More so, the study revealed a positive correlation between high intake of fast foods and “high insulin levels and risk of insulin resistance.” In the study, the subjects that showed significantly high risk to undesirable metabolic effects were found be consuming French fries, sausages and pizza at a weekly rate of 2.7 times as opposed to their normal counterparts who reported a weekly rate of 1.4 times. Additionally, the study revealed that most fast food firms use “high amounts of sodium, solid fats and sugars as flavor enhancement strategies” while formulating their products. The said products in such quantities, according to the study, are responsible for the negative health implications especially when taken consistently. Accordingly, fast food is a component of poor diet. Moreover, it substitutes healthy diets such as fruits and vegetables with industrially processed foods which are rich in inorganic chemicals. As a result, the body is deprived of the nutrients it needs. Therefore, heavy fast food consumption ought to be blamed for increased obesity and other undesirable metabolic trends among adolescents. Conversely, other scholars have argued that increased intake of fast food is not the sole cause of increased obesity and metabolic syndrome among adolescents. This is so despite the fact that numerous studies have attributed such undesirable health effects on the fast food industry. To this end, a study conducted by Todd G Buchholz is informative. It disapproved the theory to the effect that fast food is the chief cause of increased obesity among American adolescents and beyond. Instead, it cited other plausible causes for increased obesity. For instance, Buchholz argues that it has not been scientifically proven that “cheeseburgers are chemically addictive” More so, he asserts that people choose what they eat. If anything, not all fast food is high in fat. However, there are varieties of fast food that vary in fat content. Moreover, there is no proof to the effect that there is significant variation in nutritional content between fast food on one hand and an average restaurant meal or home-made meal on the other hand. He also relies on the nature of contemporary American workforce. To this end, he posits that the advancement in technology has seen the emergence of telecommuting whereby people work from their homes. Such people comprises the 12 percent of America’s workforce and by the nature of their work settings, they have unfettered access to their fridges and fast food joints. As such, they eat more due to many breaks that they have compared to the previous decades prior to telecommuting where breaks were limited as of working from the offices. Moreover, Buchholz posits that anti-cigarette smoking campaigns over the years have led to increase in cigarette prices. Consequently, most cigarette smokers have resorted to calories. In addition, he also predicates increased obesity among adolescents and working class on their failure to carefully read the ingredient labels of respective fast food so as to make informed choices prior to consumption. This recklessness is, according to Buchholz, the major causative variable for increased obesity among adolescents. However, this paper without disputing Buchholz’s claims, takes the position that his arguments do not entirely absolve fast food of its causative role in increased obesity among adolescents. It does not matter what people’s motivations are in making a decision to partake of fast food as long as their intake is responsible for metabolic syndrome and obesity. Therefore, fast food is still to blame for increased obesity among adolescents, Buchholz’s claims notwithstanding.
The trend in consumption of fast food continues to skyrocket despite the fact that people are aware of the risk it poses on their health. To begin with, the fields of choices for most people are constrained. This is due to the fact that fast food firms do not diversify the nutrition content of their products. More so, they use cheap and fast production methods that are only geared in profit maximization while blatantly disregarding the obligation to supply the consumers with healthy and safe products. Additionally, the governing policy in the sector tends to address the issue by imploring on the fast food firms to offer for sale products that reduce obesity among their consumers despite the fact that these firms are under a competing obligation to make money for their shareholders. Therefore, the policies that expect the fast food firms to promote non fattening foods are akin to the ones aimed at obliging bars to encourage sobriety. Accordingly, the implementation of the policy has been ineffective. In addition, there is a popular perception among the consumers to the effect that fast food is relatively cheap compared to home-made and restaurant meals. This misconception has been one of the major factors that have compelled consumers to consistently consume fast food in spite of the negative health implications that come with it. This factor is coupled with the nature of the costs of the negative impacts associated with unchecked consumption of fast food. Most of the costs in question are long term in nature. They are not immediate as opposed to the opportunity costs forgone by preferring fast food to seemingly costly restaurant or home-made meals. If the consumers were cognizant of the fact that consistent consumption of fast food is costly in the long run, they would be more cautious with their feeding habit. Another underlying reason behind the surge in consumption of fast food against the backdrop of awareness among consumers of the said food is general recklessness. As discussed above, most consumers are least bothered by the negative health implications associated with irresponsible feeding on fast food. It is little wonder, why most of them do not consider the variation in nutritional content of diversified brand of a fast food. Furthermore, an argument to the effect that fast food tastes too sweet to abstain from in spite of the negative implications posed by its consumption on an individual’s health has been advanced by Tara Parker. In addition, the need for instant gratification on one hand and the speed and convenience associated with fast food industry outweighs the consideration of seemingly unforeseeable long term negative health implications.
Academic Summaries
Asghari, G., Yuzbashian, E., Mirmira, P., & Azizi, F. (2015). Fast Food Intake Increases the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. PLOS ONE, 10 (10), 1-11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139641.t002.
The Article “Fast Food Intake Increases the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study” written by Golaleh Asghari, Emad Yuzbashian, Parvin Mirmiran, Behnaz Mahmoodi and Fereidoun Azizi, outlines the possible links that may do exist between the consumption of fast foods by teenagers and young adults and the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and its related effects in this section of the overall human population. The artclce reveals that over a period of more than three years of research follow-up, the occurrence of metabolic syndrome within the study sample population was only visible within 11.3% of the total number of people invoved in the study. The artcle indicates that the most notable incideneces of the impact of fast foods amongst teenagers and young adults was the incidental occurrence of metabolic syndrome and two of its associated components namely hypertriglyceridemia, and abdominal obesity. Of the three, that is metabolic syndrome, hypertriglyceridemia, and abdominal obesity, metabolicy syndrome was the most prevalent. The artcle continues to reveal that apart form these, no other associated components of metabolic syndrome were notable.
Buchholz, T. G. (2003). Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat? Journal of Controvrcial Medical Claims, 10 (4), 1-12. ISSN 15301060.
In the Article “Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat?” Buchholz admits that there has been a significant weight gain amongs the American population over the past century. However contrary to the populat belief that this may be due to the possible propulsion by fast foods, Buchholz does not agree. As a matter of fact he claims that peoples’ food choices is rather the primary culprit of tye pronounced weight gain within the American population. He empasizes the fact that people have the autonomy to choose what they eat and may thus use that liberty to choose healthy foods that may improve their nutritional health. He indicates that instead of raising law suits aginst fast food restaurants, individuals should be encouraged to incoroprate healthy alternatives in the place of unhealthy fast foods.
Tara, P. P. (2007, December 5). A High Price for Healthy Food. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The New York Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/
Tara Parker-Pope in her article “A High Price for Healthy Food” indicates that most people find themselves in the trap of junk foods because of the high cost implication associated with healthy alternatives. The cost of fruits and vegetables for instance are quite elevated compared to the cost an individual would incur purchasing junk foods, which are high in calorie and lack vital micronutrients. It is thus quite possible to find the prevalence of junk food consumption amongst populations of low-income earners. Similarly, because of this possible occurrence of consumption of junk foods amongst the population of people who have low income, incidences of obesity are also high in this group.
References
Asghari, G., Yuzbashian, E., Mirmira, P., & Azizi, F. (2015). Fast Food Intake Increases the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. PLOS ONE, 10(10), 1-11.
Bittman, M. (2011, September 24). Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html
Buchholz, T. G. (2003). Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat? Journal of Controvrcial Medical Claims, 10(4), 1-12.
Specter, M. (2015, November 2). Freedom From Fries. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/freedom-from-fries
Tara, P. P. (2007, December 5). A High Price for Healthy Food. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The New York Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/
The Economist. (2012, December 15). Food for Thought. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The Economist: http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21568064-food-companies-play-ambivalent-part-fight-against-flab-food-thought
Zollinger, P. (2013, July 5). Is It Time Fast Food Restaurants Became More Responsible? Retrieved March 30, 2016, from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/time-fast-food-became-responsible
Academic Summaries
Asghari, G., Yuzbashian, E., Mirmira, P., & Azizi, F. (2015). Fast Food Intake Increases the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. PLOS ONE , 10 (10), 1-11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139641.t002.
Buchholz, T. G. (2003). Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat? Journal of Controvrcial Medical Claims , 10 (4), 1-12. ISSN 15301060.
