Fast food industry

[Incitatus]

bit of a rant here

I've been taking health and fitness seriously now for about 1 - 2 years, I'm fitter, I feel and look better than I ever have. This is mainly due to a healthy diet and every day I learn more about how to eat well, and that is the point. It takes a substantial amount of effort and time to learn how to eat a healthy and nutritional diet and to stick to it. That is opposed to the ease at which someone can eat oneself into an early grave. The fast food industry have done an incredible job at convincing millions of people it's normal to eat once a day at mcdonalds. I simply can't believe that in the US children eat fast food in the schools, and this is a trend that is getting started here in Europe too. This state of affairs is simply criminal. Supermarkets are the same, one has to wade through huge amounts of fat ridden foods just to find a few items that actually have some nutritional value. Any seller of food should be legally bound to provide there customers with a product that will benefit their health. It's like the army giving the GI's grenades that accidentally blow their legs of every now and then, the more grenades you're supplied with the more likely you blow yourself up. Food is not like liquor or tobacco which are pretty much recreational drugs or non essential luxury items.

it just pisses me off, that's all

 

[freddy1]

i agree that it is a terrible thing that we are serving fast food (or if not fast food, food that is just as bad) in high schools. eating the school lunch is the only option for a lot of kids, and many kids that age are not aware of what they are taking in.

Any seller of food should be legally bound to provide there customers with a product that will benefit their health.

i disagree strongly. any seller of food can sell whatever they want, as long as the nutrition facts are listed. if the consumer gets fat by eating crap food every day, he has no one but himself to blame.

mcdonalds offers a product that pretty much everyone knows is harmful. if someone doesnt, he ought to, because a little research would reveal this. in spite of this, people still demand this product, and if the public wants to harm itself by wolfing down big macs, that's not mcdonalds fault or problem.

in other words, i think the problem is public ignorance.

what should be done about this? well for starters we need to stop cutting health classes and phys ed classes in high schools.

but we cannot blame the industry for offering a product that is demanded. noone is BSing anyone here: you can look up the nutrition facts for mcdonalds food, and see that its bad for you. if you still choose to buy it after that, hey, thats your problem.

by the way: for more on the topic of the fast food industry, eric schlosser wrote a pretty good book called fast food nation. you may want to check it out.

 

[Incitatus]

Yes but if bought a tv you expect it to work, not blow up a kill you. fast food is simply a faulty product which somehow we have learned to accept.

 

[capt_vegetable]

While I think that fast food should be legal to sell and it should be up to the consumer to reject it, there is also a problem with how the fast food industry markets to children. I'll make you a bet that 90% of kids in the US have had a birthday party at McDonalds or Burger King. I know when I was 7 and 8 years old, I had my birthday party at McDonalds. Furthermore, alot of these restaurants have playlands and ballhouses where kids can come to play while they wait for their parents to order them their children's meal which includes a free toy. At a very young age, kids become socialized into this unhealthy way of life, which I think is unfair. People are outraged when tobacco companies try to market to kids, but seem to accept the fast food industry peddling its dangerous product to youth. Imagine the outrage at a tobacco company putting a Finding Nemo toy into a carton of cigarettes and marketing it as the Kid's Marlboros. Anyway, I think it is this advertising saturation that causes kids to start eating this food at a young age. By the time they are adults, the damage has been done and it is much harder for them to give up this terrible habit.

Anyway, thats my rant on the subject

 

[freddy1]

Yes but if bought a tv you expect it to work, not blow up a kill you. fast food is simply a faulty product which somehow we have learned to accept.

fast food is in no way, shape, or form a faulty product. look for all of the information mcdonalds has about a big mac: you can find what it contains, and its nutritional facts. if what they give me is anything other than "2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun," then that would be a faulty product, since it would be something other than what they claim. according to mcdonalds' website, a big mac has 560 Cal and 30g of fat. if the big mac they give me has 20g or 40g of fat, that is a faulty product since they claimed it would have about 30g. fast food does exactly what it claims. it delivers to the customer the claimed ingredients, along with the claimed macronutrient quantities.

if we are going to place restrictions on what kinds of foods are sold, things could get out of hand. red meat is less healthy than chicken, so do we outlaw red meat?

While I think that fast food should be legal to sell and it should be up to the consumer to reject it, there is also a problem with how the fast food industry markets to children. I'll make you a bet that 90% of kids in the US have had a birthday party at McDonalds or Burger King. I know when I was 7 and 8 years old, I had my birthday party at McDonalds. Furthermore, alot of these restaurants have playlands and ballhouses where kids can come to play while they wait for their parents to order them their children's meal which includes a free toy. At a very young age, kids become socialized into this unhealthy way of life, which I think is unfair. People are outraged when tobacco companies try to market to kids, but seem to accept the fast food industry peddling its dangerous product to youth. Imagine the outrage at a tobacco company putting a Finding Nemo toy into a carton of cigarettes and marketing it as the Kid's Marlboros. Anyway, I think it is this advertising saturation that causes kids to start eating this food at a young age. By the time they are adults, the damage has been done and it is much harder for them to give up this terrible habit.

how can there be limits placed on marketing? where can the line be drawn? this is even more sketchy with fast food than it is tobacco, since fast food is legal for any age to consume. if a product is legal to everyone, how can a company be told what demographic to market to?

do mcdonalds executives want children to get hooked on their food at a young age? of course they do! mcdonalds is a business, not a charity, and like any other business, they want nothing more than lifelong customers. is it illegal? no, nor should it be. is it morally wrong? well that depends on who you ask. you bring up a great point about the ensuing backlash that would occur if marlboro were to include toys in packs of cigarettes: if the public truly thinks its morally wrong, then let the public hit them where it hurts, by not buying their product. the fact that mcdonalds still sells millions of happy meals per year in spite of marketing a dangerous product to children, shows me that the public either doesnt know or doesnt care. and im betting on the latter.

to resolve this nationwide overconsumption of fast food, the answer is not more legislation: it is more personal accountability.

 

[shimmering]

i hear you incitatus, it is criminal and a dirty shame how fast food has screwed our country. but people are so damn lazy and thoughtless when it comes to food, that there's little to be done.
and i disagree that pretty much everyone knows mcdonalds is bad for you, pretty much everyone SHOULD know, but the reality is plenty of people think food like that is perfectly fine to eat regularily. the marketing the FF industry has done has had a dramatic impact on people's perception of this type of food, no doubt about it. it's just..a shame.

 

[capt_vegetable]

Freddy,

I agree that there must be some level of personal culpability when it comes to the choices that adults making in choosing their food. That being said, as i said above, I think that there is some level of choice missing when a child eats at a fast food restaurant.

What you fail to address, though, is that you hold the normal American adult to a degree of accountability for the choices she makes in her diet, but where is the accountability on the part of the business world when it decides to market and sell a dangerous food. That is why I cannot accept a total personal accountability theory when it comes to the choices Americans make, as the business world is not held to the same standard. Just because McDonalds is a business does not mean that it should be able to do whatever it wants to make a profit.

When you look at a typical fast food business such as McDonalds, you can find a stunning lack of ethical considerations in all of its decisions. It does serve a product it the number one killer of American adults. It also heavily relies on marketing towards children who typically have no health consciousness at their age. Futhermore, it pays it employees a pittance to work there. I don't even believe that the managers make much more than minimum wage. (When I turned 15, I actually worked there for 6 months). Furthermore, where does McDonald's get its food product from? Well like any American company these days it relies on outsourced labor that produces the delicious beef like product that you find in a burger. The people that raise the cattle in non-industrialized countries would probably consider the typical McDonalds cashier a millionaire by the standard of what they are making. Not only is there a human toll from McDonald's actions but let's not forget the factory farms which McDonalds relies upon to acquire its beef and chicken. The animals suffer at these places in unbelievable ways. From having rubber bands placed around the cattle's testicles until they fall off to the chickens having there beaks cut off. Anyway, the list of McDonalds' abuses could go on and on.

You do bring up a good point, Freddy. The best way to hurt the fast food industry is to hit them where it hurts, and to boycott their product. That being said, though, there is much educating that must go on so people can come to this choice. I don't believe that there should be outright legislation banning the product, but I do believe that the government can do more to tell people that the fast food product is dangerous. The government does come out in favor of a healthy diet, but it never condemns outright the dangers of eating fast food. This is, of course, because there is a powerful fast food lobby that knows the consequences of having the government officially tell people that fast food consumption will kill you.

Anyway, in short, I do agree that the best way to hit the fast food industry is through the wallet. But in order for this to be trully effective, people need more education on the dangers of eating there. When there is trully informed consent from everyone waiting in line to buy a big mac, I will finally put all the impetus on the consumer to make the choice not to eat the food.

 

[freddy1]

What you fail to address, though, is that you hold the normal American adult to a degree of accountability for the choices she makes in her diet, but where is the accountability on the part of the business world when it decides to market and sell a dangerous food. That is why I cannot accept a total personal accountability theory when it comes to the choices Americans make, as the business world is not held to the same standard. Just because McDonalds is a business does not mean that it should be able to do whatever it wants to make a profit.

i still dont see your point. the business world is not held to the same standards of accountability because no one is forcing anyone to buy their product.

people want mcdonalds food. if you look up the nutrition facts, you'll see its harmful. mcdonalds is simply providing a product that people want in spite of its risks. its the same thing as a brewery or a tobacco company. you cant tell me a smoker doesnt know cigarettes are harmful: it says so right on the pack. in spite of this, he still gains enough utility from smoking, he will light up in the face of the risks. if he doesnt turn the box to the panel that says smoking is bad for you, thats his fault. same thing with mcdonalds. theres no excuse for not knowing the stuff is harmful. the nutrition facts are availible at the restaurant. so in spite of this people buy it. its not like mcdonalds is holding a gun to the customer's head and telling them to order 7 egg mcmuffins.

like any other business, mcdonalds is in it to make profit. they are entitled to do whatever they choose to sell their product, so long as it is in within the boundaries of the law. in a nutshell, they have to make information about their product readily availible to the public and pay taxes.

When you look at a typical fast food business such as McDonalds, you can find a stunning lack of ethical considerations in all of its decisions. It does serve a product it the number one killer of American adults.

again...no one is forcing anyone to eat at mcdonalds.

It also heavily relies on marketing towards children who typically have no health consciousness at their age.

i do agree with you that this is kind of slimy...but not illegal. until the age of 18, parents are legally responsible for their children.

Futhermore, it pays it employees a pittance to work there. I don't even believe that the managers make much more than minimum wage. (When I turned 15, I actually worked there for 6 months).

what exaclty is wrong with this? mcdonalds agrees to pay a cashier 5.15 per hour, the cashier agrees to work for 5.15 per hour. thats capitalism. both parites must be in agreement. unskilled labor gets paid less than skilled labor.

Furthermore, where does McDonald's get its food product from? Well like any American company these days it relies on outsourced labor that produces the delicious beef like product that you find in a burger. The people that raise the cattle in non-industrialized countries would probably consider the typical McDonalds cashier a millionaire by the standard of what they are making.

ill not turn this into a debate about economic globalization. once again, not illegal, but depending on who you ask, some will call it kind of shady. again...in a situation lime this, its really up to the consumer. many people would be glad to tell you (over a big mac) how outraged they are about mcdonalds outsourcing.

Not only is there a human toll from McDonald's actions but let's not forget the factory farms which McDonalds relies upon to acquire its beef and chicken. The animals suffer at these places in unbelievable ways. From having rubber bands placed around the cattle's testicles until they fall off to the chickens having there beaks cut off. Anyway, the list of McDonalds' abuses could go on and on.

this sounds more like a stab at mcdonalds suppliers. in which case these would not be "mcdonalds' abuses"

 

[panman79]

I agree with you Incitatus. Supermarkets for the most part suck a$$. One of the best foods I found on my budget was Great Value's Bag of glazed chicken breast. 7 Bucks for like 10 breast. Each breast has like 500mg of sodium! For those of us that want to eat perfect, it's very very expensive and we have only a limited selection.