Fast Food Nation (Paperback: 416 pages)

An inside look at a cultural phenomenon

By Yahoo! Shopping User  May 12, 2007

Pros: informative read

Cons: may change your views on your favorite foods

Eric Schlosser does a very good job educating the reader on the business and social aspects of the fast food industry. The book is split into two parts: the first discussing the history and expanding popularity of fast food franchising, the industry�...�€™s targeted marketing to children to build a habit that lasts a lifetime, the operations of fast food restaurants (with the emphasis on production throughput and low-skilled employees), and the pressures faced by franchisees (failure rates for franchises are higher than independent businesses, contrary to public perception). The second part of the book covers the value-chain of the fast food business: from the farmers who plant the potatoes and raise the cattle to the workers that process the livestock into frozen patties. There is an interesting chapter that discusses the science of food flavoring, and dispels consumer impressions that “natural flavoring” is somehow better or safer than “artificial flavoring.” The concentration of power in the food processing industry is alarming, leading to abuses of power that manifests itself in employee compensation, working conditions, as well as food safety for consumers. For example, (under Colorado law, where much of the nation’s beef is processed) a workplace injury at a meat processing plant that results in a “serious permanent disfigurement about the head, face, or parts of the body normally exposed to public view” entitles the worker to a maximum amount equal to a cheap vacation. This is appalling. The author backs this up with several stories of individuals that give the reader a more personal feel of the plight of workers in the industry. Although one may empathize with workers in the industry, the author strikes it closer to home when he discusses what’s in the meat we eat today. In a USDA study, “78.6% of the ground beef contained microbes that are spread primarily by fecal material.” In others words, you can get sick from eating a hamburger that’s not well-cooked because there is literally sh*t in the meat. So what do we make of all of this? The author, in the end, is advocating consumer activism. While the government is hampered (via powerful lobbies) in its ability to impose higher standards of worker safety and food cleanliness on the food-processing oligopoly, large fast-food chains like McDonalds (with their enormous purchasing power) can exert the necessary pressure to exact change. And why would McDonald’s do this? Because it answers to its customers – the consumer. We have a say because we can vote with our wallets. Read more Less