Criticism of fast food
Encyclopedia
Fast food
has come under criticism over concerns ranging from claimed negative health effects, alleged animal cruelty, cases of worker exploitation, and claims of cultural degradation via shifts in people's eating patterns away from traditional foods.
Fast food chains have come under fire from consumer groups
, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest
, a longtime fast food critic over issues such as caloric content
, trans fat
s and portion sizes.
Social scientists have highlighted how the prominence of fast food narratives in popular urban legends suggests that modern consumers have an ambivalent relationship (characterized by guilt) with fast food, particularly in relation to children. This guilt is projected onto processed food, where bizarre tales of contamination and lax standards are widely believed.
Some of the concerns have led to the rise of the Slow Food
, or local food
movements. These movements seek to preserve local cuisines and ingredients, and directly oppose laws and habits that favor fast food choices. Proponents of the slow food movement try to educate consumers about what its members considers the richer, more varied and more nourishing tastes of fresh, local ingredients that have been recently harvested.
consisting of a similar level of trans fats as what a person who ate fast food regularly would consume. Both diets contained the same overall number of calorie
s. It was found that the monkeys who consumed higher level of trans fat developed more abdominal fat
than those fed a diet rich in unsaturated fat
s. They also developed signs of insulin resistance
, which is an early indicator of diabetes
. After six years on the diet, the trans fat fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the unsaturated fat group.
The director of the obesity
program for the Children's Hospital Boston
, David Ludwig
, claims that "fast food consumption has been shown to increase calorie intake, promote weight gain
, and elevate risk for diabetes". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ranked obesity as the number one health threat for Americans in 2003. It is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States and results in 400,000 deaths each year.
About 60 million American adults are classified as being obese with another 127 million being overweight
. Health issues associated with obesity causes economic despair regarding health care. According to a 2003 study conducted by RTI International
in North Carolina
, the cost of health care in America is said to increase by $93 billion a year, mainly from Type 2 diabetes
and heart disease
, both associated with obesity.
Excessive calories are another issue with fast food. According to B. Lin and E. Frazao, from the Department of Agriculture, states the percentage of calories which attribute to fast-food consumption has increased from 3% to 12% of the total calories consumed in the United States. A regular meal at McDonald's consists of a Big Mac
, large fries, and a large Coca-Cola drink amounting to 1,430 calories. A diet of approximately 2,000 calories is considered a healthy amount of calories for an entire day (which is different depending on several factors such as age, weight, height, physical activity and gender). This number of calories was set in 1917.
: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Eric Schlosser
describes in gross detail the process of meatpacking. Meatpacking has become one of the most hazardous jobs in America, with the risk of injury being three times higher than any other factory work. The meatpacking factories concentrate livestock into large feedlots and herd them through processing assembly lines operated by poorly trained employees increase the risk of large-scale food poisoning.
Manure on occasion gets mixed with meat, possibly contaminating it with salmonella
and Escherichia coli
0157:H7. E. coli 0157:H7 is one of the worst forms of food poisoning. Usually spread through undercooked hamburgers, it is difficult to treat. Although antibiotics kill the bacteria, they release a toxin that produces harmful complications. About 4% of people infected with E. coli 0157:H7 develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, and about 5% of children who develop the syndrome die. The rate of developing HUS is 3 in 100,000 or 0.003%. E. coli 0157:H7 has become the leading cause of renal failure among American children. These numbers include rates from all sources of poisoning, including; Alfalfa sprouts; Apple juice/cider, unpasteurized; Deer meat, undercooked; Goat’s milk, unpasteurized; Ground beef, undercooked; Leaf lettuce; Meat, cold cooked sliced meat; Milk, unpasteurized; Radish sprouts; Sausages, particularly beef, undercooked; Environmental sources: Fecal-contaminated lakes; Nonchlorinated municipal water supply; Petting farm animals; Unhygienic person-to-person contact. An average of sources leads to the number of 0.00000214% for undercooked beef.
In a research experiment done by Pediatrics, 6,212 children and adolescents ages 4 to 19 years old were examined to find out some information about fast food. After interviewing the participants in the experiment, it was discovered that on a given day 30.3% of the total sample have reported to have eaten fast food. Fast-food consumption was prevalent in both males and females, all racial/ethnic groups, and all regions of the country.
Children who ate fast food, compared with those who did not, consumed more total fat, carbohydrates, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Children who ate fast food also ate less fiber, milk, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables. After reviewing these test results, the researchers concluded that consumption of fast food by children seems to have a negative effect on an individual's diet, in ways that could significantly increase the risk for obesity.
Media and publications:
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
has come under criticism over concerns ranging from claimed negative health effects, alleged animal cruelty, cases of worker exploitation, and claims of cultural degradation via shifts in people's eating patterns away from traditional foods.
Fast food chains have come under fire from consumer groups
Consumer organization
Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse like unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astroturfing and pollution.Consumer organizations may operate via protests, campaigning or lobbying...
, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
, a longtime fast food critic over issues such as caloric content
Food energy
Food energy is the amount of energy obtained from food that is available through cellular respiration.Food energy is expressed in food calories or kilojoules...
, trans fat
Trans fat
Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid. Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated....
s and portion sizes.
Social scientists have highlighted how the prominence of fast food narratives in popular urban legends suggests that modern consumers have an ambivalent relationship (characterized by guilt) with fast food, particularly in relation to children. This guilt is projected onto processed food, where bizarre tales of contamination and lax standards are widely believed.
Some of the concerns have led to the rise of the Slow Food
Slow Food
Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...
, or local food
Local food
Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
movements. These movements seek to preserve local cuisines and ingredients, and directly oppose laws and habits that favor fast food choices. Proponents of the slow food movement try to educate consumers about what its members considers the richer, more varied and more nourishing tastes of fresh, local ingredients that have been recently harvested.
Health based criticisms
According to the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Nutrition, fast food is especially high in fat content, and studies have found associations between fast food intake and increased body mass index (BMI) and weight gain. A 2006 study fed monkeys a dietDiet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
consisting of a similar level of trans fats as what a person who ate fast food regularly would consume. Both diets contained the same overall number of calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s. It was found that the monkeys who consumed higher level of trans fat developed more abdominal fat
Central obesity
Abdominal obesity, colloquially known as belly fat or clinically as central obesity, is the accumulation of abdominal fat resulting in an increase in waist size...
than those fed a diet rich in unsaturated fat
Unsaturated fat
An unsaturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there is at least one double bond within the fatty acid chain. A fat molecule is monounsaturated if it contains one double bond, and polyunsaturated if it contains more than one double bond. Where double bonds are formed, hydrogen atoms are...
s. They also developed signs of insulin resistance
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is a physiological condition where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects, depending on dietary conditions. Certain cell types...
, which is an early indicator of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
. After six years on the diet, the trans fat fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the unsaturated fat group.
The director of the obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
program for the Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston is a 396-licensed bed children's hospital in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts.At 300 Longwood Avenue, Children's is adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical School, and to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute...
, David Ludwig
David Ludwig
David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. is an American physician in Boston, Massachusetts. He an associate professor of Pediatrics and is the Director of the Obesity Program at the Children's Hospital Boston...
, claims that "fast food consumption has been shown to increase calorie intake, promote weight gain
Weight gain
Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water.-Description:...
, and elevate risk for diabetes". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
ranked obesity as the number one health threat for Americans in 2003. It is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States and results in 400,000 deaths each year.
About 60 million American adults are classified as being obese with another 127 million being overweight
Overweight
Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
. Health issues associated with obesity causes economic despair regarding health care. According to a 2003 study conducted by RTI International
RTI International
RTI International is the trade name of the Research Triangle Institute, an independent research institute established in 1958. The founding tenant of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, RTI was created as part of a larger effort to harness the intellectual capital of the area’s three major...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the cost of health care in America is said to increase by $93 billion a year, mainly from Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Diabetes mellitus type 2formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetesis a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Diabetes is often initially managed by increasing exercise and...
and heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
, both associated with obesity.
Excessive calories are another issue with fast food. According to B. Lin and E. Frazao, from the Department of Agriculture, states the percentage of calories which attribute to fast-food consumption has increased from 3% to 12% of the total calories consumed in the United States. A regular meal at McDonald's consists of a Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
, large fries, and a large Coca-Cola drink amounting to 1,430 calories. A diet of approximately 2,000 calories is considered a healthy amount of calories for an entire day (which is different depending on several factors such as age, weight, height, physical activity and gender). This number of calories was set in 1917.
Food poisoning risk
Besides the dangers of trans fats (Which were only used after animal fats came under attack because of alleged cholesterol risk), high calories, and low fiber, there is another health risk: food poisoning. In his book Fast Food NationFast Food Nation
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is a book by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the United States fast food industry....
: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser is an American journalist and author known for investigative journalism, such as in his books Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness and Chew On This.- Personal History :...
describes in gross detail the process of meatpacking. Meatpacking has become one of the most hazardous jobs in America, with the risk of injury being three times higher than any other factory work. The meatpacking factories concentrate livestock into large feedlots and herd them through processing assembly lines operated by poorly trained employees increase the risk of large-scale food poisoning.
Manure on occasion gets mixed with meat, possibly contaminating it with salmonella
Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...
and Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
0157:H7. E. coli 0157:H7 is one of the worst forms of food poisoning. Usually spread through undercooked hamburgers, it is difficult to treat. Although antibiotics kill the bacteria, they release a toxin that produces harmful complications. About 4% of people infected with E. coli 0157:H7 develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, and about 5% of children who develop the syndrome die. The rate of developing HUS is 3 in 100,000 or 0.003%. E. coli 0157:H7 has become the leading cause of renal failure among American children. These numbers include rates from all sources of poisoning, including; Alfalfa sprouts; Apple juice/cider, unpasteurized; Deer meat, undercooked; Goat’s milk, unpasteurized; Ground beef, undercooked; Leaf lettuce; Meat, cold cooked sliced meat; Milk, unpasteurized; Radish sprouts; Sausages, particularly beef, undercooked; Environmental sources: Fecal-contaminated lakes; Nonchlorinated municipal water supply; Petting farm animals; Unhygienic person-to-person contact. An average of sources leads to the number of 0.00000214% for undercooked beef.
Food-contact paper packaging
Fast food often comes in wrappers coated with perfluoroalkyls (PAC) to prevent grease from leaking through them. These have been proven to get into the human body. PAC changes to a more harmful form inside the human body and can cause numerous health problems. The United State's National Institute of Health stated that while other sources of this pollutant exist, the wrappers should be "considered as a significant indirect source of human PFCA contamination."Degree of fast food consumption
On average nearly one-third of U.S children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food on a daily basis. Over the course of a year this bad habit is likely to result in the child gaining six extra pounds every year.In a research experiment done by Pediatrics, 6,212 children and adolescents ages 4 to 19 years old were examined to find out some information about fast food. After interviewing the participants in the experiment, it was discovered that on a given day 30.3% of the total sample have reported to have eaten fast food. Fast-food consumption was prevalent in both males and females, all racial/ethnic groups, and all regions of the country.
Children who ate fast food, compared with those who did not, consumed more total fat, carbohydrates, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Children who ate fast food also ate less fiber, milk, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables. After reviewing these test results, the researchers concluded that consumption of fast food by children seems to have a negative effect on an individual's diet, in ways that could significantly increase the risk for obesity.
See also
- Diet and obesityDiet and obesityDiet plays an important role in the genesis of obesity. Personal choices, advertising, social customs and cultural influences, as well as food availability and pricing all play a role in determining what and how much an individual eats.-Dietary energy supply:...
- Obesity in the United StatesObesity in the United StatesObesity in the United States has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent decades. While many industrialized countries have experienced similar increases, obesity rates in the United States are among the highest in the world with 74.6% of Americans being overweight or obese...
- Heart Attack GrillHeart Attack GrillThe Heart Attack Grill is an American hamburger restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada . It has courted controversy by serving high-calorie menu items with deliberately provocative names....
Media and publications:
- Fast Food NationFast Food NationFast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is a book by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the United States fast food industry....
- Super Size MeSuper Size MeSuper Size Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003 during which he eats only McDonald's food...
- Panic NationPanic NationPanic Nation is a nonfiction book by Stanley Feldman and Vincent Marks. It was published by John Blake in 2006 . The tagline and theme of the book is "Exposing the myths we're told about food and health".-Overview:...