They say that, “Eating is a moral act” ("Ethics of Eating"). Unfortunately, even though what we eat is a reflection of our character, basic values and beliefs, the American people of today are not giving much thought to what they eat. Whether they are buying their food at a local fast-food franchise or at a supermarket, Americans prefer their food to be cheap, convenient, and quick. The American way of life is built around efficiency and speed, and today, they like things that are easy and fast, that require minimal economic or personal sacrifice. However, there was once a time when American food culture was all about spending sufficient time cooking health and quality food, and then sitting down and enjoying those meals with the whole family. However, as fast food restaurants came by and times changed, the American food culture started moving far away from its origins, and ultimately fast food managed to completely change the American food culture.
Drive on any American highway and you will notice that fast-food restaurants at every service area and exit. Walk through any supermarket and you will find premade foods that say “prepare it in minutes” or “ready to serve.” Today, merely a third of the U.S. is using fresh ingredients to actually cook their food. Unlike the 1960s, back when Americans would spend two and a half hours cooking dinner, today they cook dinner within merely 30 minutes. Moreover, everyday, one-fourth of Americans are eating in fast-food restaurants. Why are Americans consuming so much fast food today? Apparently, it seems that Americans are willingly trading quality for speed. There are many aspects of fast food that are attracting Americans to it and are changing American food culture. The fact that Americans have actually become obsessed with fast food is also hurting their health and their quality of life.
The main reason that Americans have started to favor fast food over cooking meals in their homes is because they no longer have the time. In over two-thirds of households in the United State, two people are working (Bone). Americans no longer have enough time to shop for ingredients and cook food because their work schedules have become very demanding. The younger adults of today have grown in a fast food culture, as a result of which they spend very little time consuming meals. In the past fifty years, the pace of life has increases because of technological inventions such as computers and televisions. Simultaneously, the way Americans eat has also changed because of drive-through restaurants and television dinners. Americans today prefer to have quick meals, whether they eat in front of the TV or in their cars, while cooking meals and sitting together at the table are losing their value. In this fast food culture, food itself has lost its importance.
The lack of time also forces parents to promote fast food consumption amongst their children. With both parents working, it becomes difficult for the mother to prepare a home cooked breakfast or pack a healthy lunch for the kids or even for her spouse and herself. Weekday mornings are a blur of rushed activity, with children getting ready for school and parents preparing to head off to work. As a result, while the family may have a simple boxed cereal breakfast, lunch is mainly bought. What children consume for lunch depends greatly on their parents’ propensity to spend on food. If a family has a decent combined income, a child could be given sufficient money to buy a slightly healthier lunch when compared to a basic burger. The child would, at least monetarily, be capable of including items such as fruit juice or salad in their lunch. However, here too, children are given easy access to fast food- with items such as burgers and fizzy drinks being available in school canteens. Children, who generally show an aversion to ‘veggies’, opt for unhealthy but tastier options. Hence, even though they can afford to buy healthier food, they choose not to.
However, children belonging to low income families are the worst hit. With extremely limited monthly budgets, parents in such household cannot afford to spend time or money on feeding their children healthy food. Cashing in on this constriction, fast food companies have introduced what has become popularly known as ‘The Dollar Menu’ – a host of unhealthy food items available at a mere 99 cents. Hence, it becomes very convenient for parents to simply give their children a dollar, instead of buying much more expensive vegetables and then spending time cooking a meal. Their main concern is ensuring that their children do not go hungry – they simply do not have the time or the money to consider healthier eating options for their kids. Unlike children belonging to higher income families, these children basically do not have a choice when it comes to lunch.
As a result of this trend of favoring convenience when compared to health, children become accustomed to having fast food from a very your age. Further, fast food chains directly advertise with a view of targeting young consumers, making fast food appear to be ‘cool’ food. Upsized meals and happy meals add to the appeal of fast foods which further draws children to them. With parents not having the time to guide their eating decisions, children simply select foods that they like and can afford. Due to this rapid spread of fast food consumption amongst children, especially in the last two decades, the incidence of obesity amongst children had grown exponentially in the US.
The American Medical Association or AMA announced that obesity will now be considered a formal disease. While this declaration would allow American’s to move to have obesity treatment included in their insurance plans, it classifies obesity as a purely genetic illness. The fact that a large number of people do not have any genetic or hormonal issues and yet find themselves to be grossly overweight cannot be ignored. If obesity was, indeed, simply an illness, then treating it using modern medicinal science should have been fairly easy. However, as Hebrew University nutrition expert Elliot Berry notes, there is no easy way out for those suffering from obesity – they need to eat smart and exercise . However, the American food culture and the sedentary lifestyles that American’s lead does not allow them the money or time to eat healthy and workout.
The American diet plan and food culture did not change overnight. In the modern American culture, fast food comes by quite easily and has become readily available. The most problematic factor that has influenced the American food culture and lifestyle is the globalization of fast food (Ritzer). The idea behind fast food globalization is that it stems from America, and not only has the U.S. created enormous economic stress, health and mental problems, and social issues for itself but has also spread these negative effects of fast food to other cultures and nations too. In the process of globalizing other nations, America has become so industrialized that Americans are now acting and interacting like robots. Fast food has pushed the American people to a way of life where they are no longer thinking or acting themselves, but are repeating the same exhaustive routine over and over again, going on with the daily grind (Ritzer).
It is easy to understand why fast food has become a trend in the United States. As the world became more dynamic, Americans adopted the establishing value of achieving the most in every field, not leaving much time for other activities, such as food and nutrition. After the second industrial revolution a new perception of food and nutrition emerged among Americans, as a result of which they began viewing food as a pleasure, rather as a human necessity. The widespread of the fast food trend in the United States has resulted in the valuable loss of the diversity of the American food culture (Schlosser 132). Before the emergence of the fast food trend, the rite of cooking and eating was an important part of the American cultural life. However, Americans do not appreciate home cooking much today. Fast food industries are making Americans addicted to their food (Spurlock), which is the main reason why U.S. is currently struggling with obesity.
Since the mid 1970s, there has been a fast increase in the prevalence of obesity and diseases related to obesity. Over the same time period, more twice as many fast food restaurants emerged in the country than were already existing the time. While there is no strong evidence that links fast food to obesity. However, it is not too difficult to figure out that the widespread availability of fast food is a decisive contributor to the drastic increases in the rates of obesity in the U.S. In various cities, policy makers have addressed this concern by limiting the content of fast food available, or even making it mandatory for fast food restaurants to post the caloric content of their meals (Mair et al.). However, the major concern about fast food restaurants is not the caloric content of their meals, but their extensive use of easy brand recognition and advertising.
The documentary ‘Food, Inc.’ shed light on several food related issues that the general public was unaware of. While it has become near common knowledge that fast food and fizzy drinks are a major contributors of America’s obesity problem, there are a lot of revelations pertaining to the production process of fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and even dairy products. Food products of all kinds are biologically re-engineered to make them more profitable. Hence, chickens are larger in size, vegetables grow faster, and fruits remain fresh for a much longer time than is natural. Animals are injected with chemicals, sterpids and antibiotics to make them grow faster and fatter, thereby yielding more meat. Cows are given steroids so that they produce more milk. Everything from a McDonald’s burger to a carton of milk has been produced through the use of chemical boosters
.While no directly links have been scientifically confirmed, studies have attributed these new methods of production to the staggering growth of cases of American’s being infected with strong strains of E.coli. Along with obesity, the number of adults suffering from diabetes has also exploded . It is known that toxins, once consumed by animals, or absorbed by fruits and vegetables, pass on to humans once they consume them. Although the FDA has several policies in place that technically label these products as safe to consume, the long term impact of their consumption is just beginning to reveal itself. How the consumption of this ‘super food’ will impact the human population over the next 10 to 20 years remains to be seen – although a fair indication can be seen in the rise of obesity, diabetes, and E.Coli.
There is a degree of awareness amongst Americans about the artificial means by which food is mass produced today and, the more health conscious of the population, has raised the demand for ‘organic’ food. Organic foods are produced using all natural methods. Fruits and vegetables are grown on farms that specialize in non-synthetic and completely natural farming processes. No artificial or chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used in the soil. Instead, natural fertilizers such as compost and manure are used to increase the fertility of the soil. Even during the processing of foods, all methods used ensure that no chemical or artificial substances are used. No irradiation is carried out, industrial solvents are not used, while chemical additives and preservatives are also forbidden to be used. Food that is produced through such 100% natural methods is known as ‘organic’ food. . Organic farming and production can be applied across food groups including fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products as well as crops. Unlike conventional methods of rearing, no artificial or chemical methods are used to fatten cattle, make poultry grow faster, or increase milk production in cows. In fact, for such a product to be labeled ‘organic’, even the feeds given to cattle have to be organically grown. Fundamentally, for a food to be termed organic, the entire process of its production, from start to finish, has to be 100% natural.
Organic foods have witnessed a staggering growth in demand in the US, particularly over the last 10 years. In 2000, only 1.2% of all foods consumed in the US were organic. However, this percentage had grown significantly to 4% by 2010 . This increase in the consumption of organic foods is due to the fact that people realize that organic food is more nutritious, safer to consume and is always a healthier option when compared to conventionally produced foods . The fact that organic foods contain significantly lower quantities of harmful toxins when compared to conventional food is scientifically proven. Organic vegetables have lower levels of nitrogen , while organic poultry has lower levels of heavy metals and arsenic . Organic foods also contained lesser cadmium while only 7% of organic foods showed traced of pesticides whern compared to 38% of conventional foods in 2012 .
However, in this sphere too, the role of policies implemented by government agencies has come into question. For example, in 2007, the USDA allowed products with up to 5% of artificial coloring, rice starch, lemongrass, processed animal intestines and fish oil to be included in products that could carry the USDA ‘Organic’ label . Such relaxations in policies shake consumer faith in regulatory authorities such as the USDA and FDA. The strict controls ensure that when a consumer buys a product that is labelled ‘organic’, they are, in fact, buying genuinely organic products. These changes in rules are only going to push people further towards unhealthy foods .
According to a Canadian study, exposure to fast food logos can make people considerably impatient and it eliminates their impulse to save money (Zhong). The researcher briefly showed the volunteers of the study the McDonald’s logo on screen for such a short period of time that it would not be identifiable, but they still became agitated. The study revealed that a single sighting of a fast food restaurant logo subconsciously impacts us for a short time, while being repeatedly exposed to takeaway signs can have the cumulative behavioral-priming effect, which makes people impatient and rush even when it is not necessary. The study also revealed that after the volunteers saw the logos, they read a 320-word passage considerably faster than they had before they had seen the logos. Fast food culture has caused people, especially Americans, to develop unhealthy eating habits such as gobbling down their food at incredible speeds even when there is no need rush.
Fast food restaurants also rely on advertisements to directly promote food purchasing and indirectly influence social norms, as a result of which they manage to have an effect on food consumption in the United States and in every other country where these advertisements are viewed. Fast food advertising has been associated with adolescent obesity (Zimmerman, and Bell) and marketing of fast food products more generally has been highlighted among the major factors that contribute to the obesity epidemic. A new study carried out by the American Academy of Pediatrics reveals that Americans who are extremely familiar with fast and junk food advertising are either already suffering from obesity or are likely to become obese. Outdoor advertising has also been labeled as a factor that contributes to the obesity epidemic that is escalating in the United States. To sum up this point, fast food restaurants are actually marketing obesity through their advertisements, even enticing people who spend money on their products.
In my opinion, possibility it is true that the American lifestyle has indeed become quite congested that Americans no longer have time to do many things. However, this is certainly no excuse to not cook food and enjoy a decent meal with the family. The truth is that, as the above information suggests, there is far more profound reason that Americans have become obsessed with fast food and are no longer able to appreciate a quality meal. Certainly fast food restaurant chains are to be blamed, however, Americans themselves need to change their misconceptions that by eating fast food they are improving their lives and saving time. The truth is that Americans need to start cooking and eating at the table once again, as they did before fast food restaurants came by, if they actually want to have more enjoyable and healthier lives. There needs to be a greater awareness amongst the people about how common food items such as milk, fruits and vegetables, and, particularly, meat is produced. If American’s make a conscious and mass effort towards buying organically produced foods, there is bound to be a gradual change in the food industry, with methods going back to the traditional, natural means. The American people need to say no to fast food and return back to their original food culture.
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