Americans have started eating more fast foods due to the manner in which it is marketed, it is convenient, cheap, taste good and it is a finger food. Eating is among the pleasures of life, although it can be bad for someone’s health when they eat fast foods, which have high-refined sugars, saturated fats and sodium which lead to obesity, diabetes and other adverse health conditions. Fast food is a term used for various items that may be prepared and served within a short period (Fraser, Graham, Cade & Edwards 77). Fast food is a food supplied quickly following placing an order and with limited service. Nonetheless, the best way of distinguishing fast food is use of formal characteristics: Required time – those who eat fast food are not willing to spend quite a lot of time in selection process and eating; in some occasions, they eat while walking or standing, on the park bench, bus or at work. There is limited variety of beverage and foods of this nature. The fast foods do not come with forks and finger and this makes it a finger food. The main question on fast foods is the effects of eating fast food and the impact they have on the health of an individual.
Everyone ought to think twice prior to making a decision on eating fast food. This is because there exists numerous health risks when eating foods made within a considerably short time. These foods are not taken care of properly, leading all the way back in the location the food is produced originally. Despite being easily cooked and bought, the health risks outweigh the satisfaction obtained within five minutes from the food. Therefore, people ought to think keenly prior to eating fast food.
The health risks coming from consumption of so much fast food are a threat to life. For instance, obesity can result from consumption of fast food. Fast food is normally made from fats with high saturation and if calories obtained are not worked off, then one can grow to be obese. It should be noted that even small fast food quantities contain high levels of calories (Alexandria 66). The quantity has fooled some people and they tend to eat more of small quantities often. Therefore, without their knowledge, they end up consuming huge amounts of calories. This is a main exemplar of the manner in which individuals have been consuming huge amounts of calories without their knowledge. The only risk is not obesity, since heart disease is also a factor. What someone eats has high chances of affecting the health of their heart and chances of developing heart diseases which are a threat to life. After eating different sugars, fats, and salts, the heart grows weak and this endangers an individual’s life. When it comes to eating fast food, there is no safe risk to the body.
Illnesses which result from eating habits are commonly due to fast food. Many people do not understand the conditions of the animals prior to their killing. For instance, in some incidences chickens and pigs are cramped in enclosed spaces while some cows are hung upside down. In some facilities, the animals are beaten to be positioned at the rightful place. Some people pinch, kick and kneel animals like pigs and strike them with a steel stunning tong several times as the animals cries out loud, which is very inhumane. It is worth noting that from these living conditions, different bacteria enter into the food. A recent survey established that a complete 47 percent of soda fountains in restaurants with fast foods have coliform bacteria which grow in feces and 11.2 percent had E. Coli as well (Stauffer 357). It is exceedingly appalling to note that even the soft drinks we take could be infected by illnesses which are food-borne which are normally derived from meat.
Nonetheless, fast food is among the cheapest and easiest way of eating. It is known to safe significant amounts of time and money, especially for individuals who come home from work. As showed by the fast food business successes, having higher convenience as compared to the alternative will almost give someone a significant advantage in the market. It is apparent that there lacks a quick or better way of satisfying the reverberating stomach. However, the bond of contention is the price that one pays after getting their fill, after acquiring a new illness from eating food from restaurants of fast food. In the United States, fast foods cause approximately between 6 to 8 million illnesses and about nine thousand deaths annually (Cronin, & McCarthy, 730). It is should be understood these statistics come from people’s families. Most of the infected food is obtained from food eaten from local fast food joint. To eat from these places can cost many dollars in hospital bills, due to infected burger
Over the years, fast food has advanced from restricted burger shops with to multimillion-dollar enterprises. The industry of fast foods has not only altered eating habits of Americans, but also consumers in different parts of the world. Following the speedy and extreme growth of the fast foods industry, companies have continued to overlook quality standards and the healthy conditions of the served foods. The main corporations dealing with food like Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s portray a considerable lack of ethics of business in the different steps of preparing food and overall management of the business. Using inhumane slaughter methods, advertising to children and self-regulation are some of the examples of what is done by fast food currently. These pitiable business ethics by the industry of fast foods portrays a major lack of customer concern. The industry ought to understand the adverse impacts the food they produce exposes to the American citizens. There should be change in the business practices to produce a healthy nation.
Fast food appears to have found its way into the homes of many Americans. It has changed the diets of the Americans as well as the culture of these Americans. According to Schlosser, the diet of a society can hold a similar importance to the art or technology of that society. He gives an elaboration on his notion concerning the connection between food and culture by noting that if Americans were wiped from the face of the earth suddenly, people would obtain technological advances, numerous arts, book and a multihued hamburger wrapper from McDonald. The phrase that one is what he eats is currently a true reflection of the culture of Americans. Overuse of the processed food, served by fast food industries has caused a significantly negative image amongst Americans (Plater, & Egger, 63). A stereotype has been developed in America from foreign countries that all Americans are overweight. The reality of this stereotype is not far from being realized. America is currently known to be the fattest nation globally (Whitfield 136). Despite the fact that America currently is reputed for being overweight, some of the American citizens do not suffer from obesity conditions. Apparently, some individuals have managed to sustain their healthy styles of living as they live in a country with significant temptation to consume fatty foods. The challenging part is that when dealing with the industry of fast foods the majority have a tendency of giving in to these persuasions. The fast food companies with big names do not physically motivate hungry customers to buy the products. Nonetheless, the said companies are significant influence in the choices people make regarding where an individual eats by starting new restaurants in different areas. This fast food industry growth appears to relate to the increase of the health problems in America.
The increase in the profit margin of fast food companies is directly proportional to the deterioration in the customers’ healthy condition. In the Super Size Me documentary by Morgan Spurlock, he examines the increased problem of Americans who struggle with overweight and obesity conditions. In this documentary, Spurlock attempts to prove that the corporations of fast foods are to be blamed when dealing with obesity, Spurlock specifically utilizes McDonald in revelation due to the financial success and global attention of the corporation. Spurlock is seen consuming the products produced by McDonald thrice a day on daily basis for thirty days. After the completion of thirty days, his cholesterol level had gone up by sixty points, after gaining twenty-five pounds; additionally, doctors stated that his liver had primarily changed into fat.
The aforementioned documentary enables the average American to get more information to be more aware of the adverse effects which fast foods have on body of a human being for a given time period. In America, the national epidemic of obesity has continued to grow with fast food company influence. The obesity conditions in America have increased significantly, and among preventable causes of death it comes second after smoking. Consumers have not been discouraged by death from consuming fast food. Every day, one in four Americans buy fast food. McDonald restaurant are situated in strategic places like gas stations, grocery stores and even hospitals. Taking into account the various health risks which people are exposed to after eating fast food, it may be rather convenient for one to eat the hospital food or eat while in hospital. Some of the probable health concern arising in older adults due to overuse of fast food comprise of the following: colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, respiratory problems, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, stroke, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Rational elucidation to the obesity problem and other health concerns which fast foods can cause would be simply lowering the levels of calories, sodium, fat, as well as other unhealthy components lying within chicken nuggets and hamburgers. In accordance with the main website of Food and Drug Administration, a 2011 proposal initiated to lower the counts of sodium in food for controlling the consumer hands. This proposal aims at reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease. However, the success of this proposal is discouraged by the fast food companies’ self-regulation. In a certain article, Mark Bittman makes a claim that major companies dealing with fast foods self regulate their food nutrition level. Through self-regulation mechanisms, these companies have started to set their nutritional guidelines. This has allowed the manufactures of fast food to have total control over what a healthy meal is defined of. The concern of Bittman regarding self-regulation is that the youth of America are exposed to food that is unhealthy at early age.
Poor business ethics which have been portrayed by corporations dealing with fast foods have increasingly expanded rather than the unhealthy standards of healthy regulation. Children have been enticed by the industry by use of advertisements in television and toys sold together with these foods. This strategy of marketing is morally unethical to be condoned by fast food companies. To market toys with the aim of manipulating the minds of children on what they should consume is intolerable. The marketing strategy of McDonald utilizes more than just toys and advertisements to entice its young client base. Other tactics used by McDonalds to attract children into buying their products are McDonald’s clown, Ronald McDonald, and playgrounds. These company manipulations sparkle unhealthier, eating habits amongst the youth of America. The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) comprises of a group of manufacturers infamous for regulation of their own nutritional standards. The main companies in CFBAI comprise of Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Burger King, and McDonald. This group has put in place personal guidelines for defining what is healthy enough to be marketed to children. Through self-regulation o guidelines on nutrition, companies have obtained complete control of what is stated to be healthy. Devoid of an ideal objective in nutrition, the companies have overlooked the health of children with the aim of increasing their profits.
Young children, without knowledge of what is healthy or unhealthy cannot be persuaded for money. The Rudd Center for Food and Obesity in Yale University, gathered data from twelve of the major food companies in the nation as given below: KFC, Wendy, McDonald, Pizza Hut, Domino, Sonic, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks (Melnick). Despite the claim by fast foods to limit the amount of marketing aimed at children, data has indicated that advertisements aimed at ages 5-17 has gone up over one year. Investigations by researchers have established that out of 3,039 fast food meals aimed at children, only 12 had attained the nutritional requirements, which had been set by researchers for pre-school children while 15 were meeting the criteria for older children. Out of the twelve meals which were perceived to be healthy for preschoolers, all were from Burger King and Subway (Melnick). The significance of this study was providing views on how far fast food was from attaining a healthy status.
McDonald’s claim that all of their facts on nutrition are listed on the website of the company and therefore outraged parents should not complain as they try to examine the meal ingredients, or teenagers who argue that their reason for obesity is McChickens. McDonalds possesses nutritional fact posted on the main website of the company; however, over 50% of the American homes lack internet connectivity. For this reason, they will continue being ignorant to the nutritional facts of McDonalds. Suppose these giants of fast foods continue elucidating nutritional guidelines, more information regarding its ingredients health ought to be easily accessible in various restaurants.
Many customers walk into doors of fast food establishments every day of buy fast foods. In accordance with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), McDonalds displays a significant lack of ethics in business starting with the initial food preparation stage. This organization, PETA, launched a campaign against McDonald in 2000, known as McCruelty, and the campaign was re-launched in 2009. This campaign made a declaration that McDonald used methods with were painful and outdated to slaughter chickens. In the United States, McDonald is known to be the biggest distributor of chicken meat. Starting a form of chicken slaughtering that is more up to date and less painful would be an ethical decision by the company to enhance its public relations.
With McDonalds giving service to many people, there should be concern regarding the health of individuals of the different people purchasing the food. There is a solemn lack of ethics in McDonalds in dealing with its foodstuff. Some individuals are concerned about the amount of McDonald food which is real. In 2010, an article from The Washington Post examines the process used in making chicken in McDonald. It notes that chicken are turned into goop-like pink substance which is then turned into patties and nuggets (Klein). Since the goop is infested with bacteria, it ought to be soaked with ammonia. This follows an artificial flavoring of the chicken and then dying with artificial coloring. This artificial manner of food processing is fast when feeding as huge number of people. This enables McDonald to gain financially over its competitors. Nonetheless, this fiscal gain comes at the expense of health and wellbeing of its customers.
Early in 2012, Americans were notified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) that there had been an outbreak in Salmonella in the meat of Taco Bell. From ten different states, sixty-eight people were affected (Flynn). This outbreak was detected three months earlier, but these details were kept from the public until February. Officials from FDA justified their concealing of the information by arguing that the outbreak did not pose a serious threat to the public. With manufacturers of food delivering mass food amounts to restaurants like McDonalds and Taco Bell regularly, food ought to be investigated thoroughly to ensure it is safe for consumption.
In conclusion, the business of fast food, which began over fifty years back, has changed dramatically. The industries of fast foods have been exemplified by lack of attention as they deal with the food quality and they engage in morally wrong practices. The demand for fast food is constantly increasing, and therefore solutions ought to be devised to meet these demands without engaging in morally wrong business practices. It is high time for fast food companies to acknowledge the repercussions of selling food which is not healthy and using business practices which are morally wrong. They should spend more time focusing on the well-being and health of customers, instead of focusing singly on profit margins. People ought to have a second thought prior to making decisions of eating fast foods. The health risks are not worthy someone’s life, and animals living in slaughterhouses are not treated with the hygienically and before being slaughtered; this causes many food-borne diseases to inhabit food. Though being easy to purchase and inexpensive, to risk a life for something that is not good for a human consumption could cost many dollars in hospital bills. People should eat healthy foods and make good choices when making decisions on what to consume. People should not be lazy and end up picking fast food on their way home from work. Instead, they should make right choices and take up some vegetables and fruits.
Works Cited
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