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Monday, August 30, 2010

Bibliography

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal .


N.p.: Harper Perennial, 2001, 2002. Print.

Global Realization

As the fast food industry continues to prosper it is spreading outside of the United States and to the rest of the world. The United States alone has the highest rate of obesity, in children and adults. The blame of this obesity can be directly associated with the consumption of fast food. People have been eating out more these days, which increases the amount calories and fat in their diets. The fast food chains in America have to realize that they are causing so much obesity, how could they not? However, despite anything, they have made their meals larger and more unhealthy. As the books states, "Obesity is now second only to smoking as a cause of mortality in the United States." Around 280,000 Americans die every year as a result of obesity. The fast food industry can be directly related to this epidemic and seem to have no interest in stopping it.

Some fast food chains added healthier foods to their menu, but their customers have become so equipped to the unhelathier food that they do not care to change their tastes now. Every person has their own taste, whether it is in food, clothing etc. When creating a product the producer must take those likes and dislikes into considertation. When something is changed or done differently, the consumer will not respond as well to the new product.

As fast food chains spread around the world, so does obesity. I think that either the fast food industry has to change their ways or the government needs to care and take more control of the food that they are allowing to be served to their people.

What's in the Meat

The food industry has become very centralized, increasing the chance and spread of foodborne diseases. One of the most common is E. coli 0157:H7. The meat packing industry has become so powerful that the U.S. government does not have the power to demand a meat packing company to recall and take back tainted meat from fast food kitchens and supermarkets. Therefore, if meat is contaminated by any foodborne pathogens it is the careless work of the meat packing industry and the government can not do anything about it. A business such as the meat packing industry is a prime example of an industry that Americans rely on very much.


The feedlots where the cattle stay before they are sent to the slaughterhouse are also a dangerous area for foodborne pathogens to spread. All the cattle in feedlots are cramped together, and if one of the cattle is infected by the pathogen, it can easily be spread to the other cattle in the lot.

A new system called the Streamlined Inspection System for Cattle (SIS – C) reduced the number of federal inspectors at slaughterhouses and gave the workers the job of inspecting the meat for safety. This system was supported by the Reagan administration and diseased animals were being slaughtered and sent out at the slaughterhouses that worked with this system. The SIS – C was finally discontinued in 1993 after there was an outbreak of E. Coli O157:H7 at Jack in the Box. The meat industry placed blame on others claiming that they did not know the proper temperature at which the meat was supposed to be cooked at. Of course, in business however you need to lie sometimes and place blame on someone else as to not hurt your own reputation. If you have a bad reputation, no one would want to be associated with you. However, by placing blame on Jack in the Box, I believe that could have lowered their number of customers, therefore they would need less meat. Since they would need less meat, they would be paying less and the meat company that supplies the meat would be losing out. Therefore, placing blame on someone else does not always work out the way you plan. They should accept responsibility and fix what was wrong.

More safety precautions have been taken here and there, but when meat is contaminated it is still not fully recalled after the contamination is discovered. I really believe that the meat industry needs to be more mindful of the meat that they send out to their customers. The customers are their main consumers, and they are making themselves look bad as they continually send out pathogen stricken meat.

The Most Dangerous Job: The Worst

The cleaning crews of the meat packing industry have some of the most dangerous jobs there are. One person was pulled into a conveyor belt and torn apart, another fell from a skinning machine while cleaning it and one had his head crushed in a pork –loin processing machine. Many other fatal and serious injuries occur in these slaughter houses.


As illegal immigrants replaced many skilled workers in the plants and line speeds increased, the job became a lot more dangerous. The government did not do much to help the workers stay safe. In fact, the federal government placed restrictions on the enforcement of health and safety laws. The OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was unfunded by the government. As time went by the number of OSHA inspectors was eventually cut by 20 percent and could no longer show up to a plant unannounced. Instead they looked at injury logs and if the number of injuries was below average, they were not allowed to enter the plant. These injury logs, however, were constantly changed and falsified by the plants. IBP had two copies of injury logs; one with every injury recorded and another they would strictly show only to inspectors with a dramatically lower number of injuries.

I honestly do not understand or like the way the meat industry works. It is cruel to the animals whom are not even fully dead when hung upside down on hooks and slaughtered, and it is cruel to the workers who work so hard to get the job done and are seriously injured while on the job. I also do not understand why the government is so lenient with the meat packing industry and takes power away from the ones who are trying to ensure safety to the workers. The government has the power to give the health administrators the right to inspections and to keep people safe, but they choose not to. It seems as if they do not care or are not as sincere because many of the workers at the plants getting injured or killed are illegal immigrants. However, it is still unfair and the government should take more control.

The Most Dangerous Job

The laborers and workers of the slaughter houses in the United States are obviously extremely important in the production of meat, and in order to do their job right and efficiently, they need to be protected. However, workers at the slaughterhouses encounter several dangers every day. Many upon many laborers get seriously injured on the job and many have died as well. All the workers wear eight pounds of chain mail, helmets and steel armor on their hands, wrists, stomachs and backs, but they still continue to get injured constantly.


The way in which they treat the cattle is harsh and disturbing enough, but the injuries and deaths that come from the assembly line of processing this meat is also disturbing, and even more unjustly when the owners of the house try to cover up such brutality. Many injuries are brought upon by the increasing speed of the assembly lines, which are just getting faster rather than slower. The three largest meat packing companies are ConAgra, IBP and Excel, and all three of them try to speed up production in order to increase their earnings. Ine the business world it is also about exceeding and being better than their competitiors, and the faster the line moves the faster money will come in. Some supervisors provide their workers with methamphetamine in order for them to feel more energized and work faster, which is absolutely absurd and makes it more dangerous for them as they may be more careless with their new found “energy.”

According to Schlosser, most workers are afraid to report injuries at the risk of being fired. Supervisors usually try to hide injuries by prodding their workers not to tell and moving them to an easier job for awhile. Obviously, an injured worker brings down profits and in any industry making money is the main goal and they are sometimes encouraged to quit if they can not perform well enough. This is unfair to the workers because if they slowed down production or created new methods of doing what needed to be done, it would be safer and fewer injuries would result. The workers can not be blamed for their injuries. Schlosser gives a clear description of the process in which meat is made  and the injuries that result, as he enters into a slaughterhouse and sees first hand what goes on.

Cogs in the Great Machine

The meat packing industry has become one of the most important suppliers of fast food chains. The meat packing industry is a very powerful industry. However, on many occasions different meat packing companies have lied and broke the law in order to protect themselves and receive a larger profit. For instance, ConAgra is the largest food service supplier in North America and was making millions, if not billions, of dollars every year. When they became in debt and was losing money they began breaking laws to save money. They misweighed chickens purposely in order to pay less for them, fixed the prices of catfish nationwide for their own benefit, was involved in wire fraud and more. Unfortunately, these sort of lies are more common than most may think. However, they still had to go to court and still pay money for their lies which was what they were trying to do avoid all along. In business, there are ups and downs, the company just needs to work with what they have and should try to avoid breaking the law.

Why the Fries taste so Good

Just by looking at the French fries provided for America’s fast food chains, the reader of Fast Food Nation can see the impact that the industry has on Americans. The typical American will eat around forty – nine pounds of fresh potatoes a year and more than thirty pounds of frozen French fries, which they mainly purchase at fast food restaurants. The French fries at most fast food chains are frozen fries that they heat up in oil before serving them to the customer (very unhealthy). McDonald’s purchases all their fries from J.R. Simplot who has a privately owned company. He was an eighth grade drop out and is now one of the richest men in the United States, which proves how successful a man can become simply through the fast food industry.


Again, fast food industries receive a large profit off of their French fries. Fast food chains buy French fries for 30 cents a pound from their providers and then sell them for six dollars a pound. In business views, this makes sense because it makes the larger profit However, in the view of a customer; it seems like a bit of a rip off. There needs to be a common meeting place in between that is fair for both the customer and the restaurant.

The American Way

Franchising has become very significant in the fast food industry and many other businesses. It is a very common business tactic, which either can be successful or can fail. The franchisor almost always comes out on top if a franchise does not go right, probably because the franchisor makes the rules that must be followed by the franchisee. Franchising is a great way to transform a company into an industry, which if successful, can create a huge profit. The fast food industry was what made franchising a big part of starting and growing a business. McDonald’s franchising endeavors proved to be extremely successful.


McDonalds tested their investors and made sure that they would be committed to the franchise. They also listened to their complaints and ideas. This method was successful and brought in much money. It shows when people work together and compromise in business endeavors, the more successful they could be. It is, sometimes, about working together as a team rather than as enemies.

In business as well, industries and companies will base their next moves off of methods of other companies. Many companies imitated McDonald’s franchising success. However, even if one company was successful in their methods, does not mean that method will work for another company.

When franchising, the looks of the building can also be important and something to consider. For instance, all McDonald’s should probably share somewhat of a cohesive style because that is what customers are used to. The golden arches of McDonalds are a key part of the McDonalds design and are recognized by many people through the United States. I think franchising can be a great way to increase a company’s success, but only if the right people are involved in the deal.

Behind the Counter

Not only has the fast food industry been targeting young workers in their advertising campaigns, but are also overworking the young teenagers they hire behind the counter. Two-thirds of all fast food workers are under the age of twenty. Almost all teens want a job in order to make their own money instead of constantly relying on their parents. Working at a fast food restaurant is an easy job which requires very little experience, making it a fairly good opportunity for teens looking for a job. However, many fast food chains are making teens work over hours, which at times violate child labor laws, which is wrong and unfair. It is very possible that the ONLY thing that concerns fast food chains is making a large profit and spending the least amount of money as possible. In 1997 Taco Bell went to court for convincing workers to spend extra hours at work “off the clock” in order to not pay them for working overtime. The fast food industry hires untrained teenagers because they would not be required to pay them as much as they would as an adult. This is a sign of greediness and selfishness.


When the number of teenage workers decreased, the fast food industries began hiring immigrants, elderly men and women and the handicapped to replace them. Although this is yet another way for the industry to save money, I do not believe it is the smartest idea. These people are not as qualified. Most immigrants in the fast food industry can not speak English. They simply memorize the menu and that is it. This has proved unsatisfactory to many customers as they can not communicate with the person handling their orders and food. Fast food chains are supposed to train their employees but rarely do. The fast food industry pays almost all of their workers minimum wage, which is unfair, as they hire the people who need the money, the most. Fast food industries used federal subsidies to create low paying, unskilled and short term jobs for the poor. This may be the only way the poor can make any source of income and the restaurants simply do not care.

Working at a fast food industry also proves to be a very dangerous job for its workers as the “injury rate of teenage workers in the United States is about twice as high as that of adult workers.” Since teens are untrained workers, they are easily injured on the job. Fast food restaurants are also clear and easy targets for armed robberies as the restaurants keep thousands of dollars in cash on the premises. In addition, the locations of these restaurants are equipped for and easy get away. These industries have little security protection in the restaurants, showing little concern for employees. Working here may be an easy job, but the workers are clearly not treated as well as they should, and the employees are a pivotal part of a successful restaurant.

Kids Kustomers and Perfect Synergy

According to the book, beginning in the 1980s more and more advertising agencies began mainly targeting children in their ads and campaigns. Marketers believe that if a child sees something they want in an ad, they will whine and complain to their parents until they break down and get them what they want. This method has proved to be a very successful advertising tactic; it's fast and efficient and provides the company with the profit that they desire. However, this places these marketing agencies very low on a scale of morality. It is a bit cruel and manipulative to target small children whom are very vulnerable at their age, especially when the product they are promoting is not good for them and not necessary for them to have. It forces their parents to pay for pointless items which literally are like throwing their money down the drain. I found it a bit disturbing that “ a 1991 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly all of America’s six-year-olds could identify Joe camel, who was just as familiar to them as Mickey Mouse,” (Schlosser 43). Joe Camel is a cartoon character used to advertise cigarettes something that is clearly not appropriate for children. Advertising to children is not a crime, but if your putting a child at risk if they choose to use the product, there is a problem and lawsuits may be brought into action.


Marketing agencies should be more aware about what product they are advertising and what affects they may have on the child’s health or well being. Advertising companies have been trying to pick at the brains of children in order to analyze what makes them want a product. These companies exploit children’s vulnerabilities and weaknesses in order to sell their product and make a profit. For instance, fast food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King offers toys and “play lands” to children in order to lure kids into their restaurants and eat their food, which is not healthy for them. I have to admit, however, that their ideas can be, at times, very ingenious.

I found it extremely interesting that there was book, Kids as Consumers by James U. McNeal, published which places children’s nagging habits into seven categories. It shows how closely people look at and analyze children’s behavior in order to find out how to get them to buy into their product. Advertisers will do anything to make the extra dollar, but they should consider targeting older people who are more logical and less vulnerable. Making money and advertising is important in any business endeavor, but there should be a limit and some lines should not be crossed.

Welcome to my blog!

The purpose of my blog is to share my opinions on the book, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, which gives people insight into the real world  of fast food. It is a very interesting book and reveals some truth behind the industry's ways.

Schlosser does a good job at staying as unbiased as possible within the book. He states the facts what he has seen, and does not comment on any of his findings. He puts the information down on paper and leaves the reader to take it as they will and rely on their own perspective of the situations.