One issue that I am particularly passionate about is nutrition. I believe the over consumption of fast food in the common American’s diet is concerning. In a CBS interview, Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) states that at least one quarter of American adults eats fast food everyday.
I realize that fast food is sometimes the best option for the low-income population. It’s cheap and filling. I strongly believe, however, that offering these meals at such low costs is not beneficial for the sustainability of the American population. This food is notoriously unhealthy and over consumption is linked to various health issues such as diabetes, respiratory problems, stroke, etc.
I think fast food restaurants should be targeted to improve their quality standards of their food. These processed food products are cheap and easy, however long-term disease caused by over consumption of these foods is very costly. People need to be consuming quality, fresh produce. However, the fact of the matter is that is that these foods are sometimes too expensive for a significant part of the population.
In my mind two things should be done:
1. Provide alternatives to low income families. I think this could be done with the expansion and promotion of the SNAP program.
2. Regulations and quality control of fast food restaurants. First, the portion sizes offered at fast food restaurants are far too large. Also, the foods served are too heavily processed. Any other suggestions...?
Works Cited
Nonas, Cathy. “Americans Are Obsessed with Fast Food; The Dark Side of the All American Meal.” CBS News, 11 Feb.
2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.
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ReplyDeleteGreat post, Paige. It is so good to read how students are getting a clearer picture of our moment and the choices we need to be making. You might want to check out Dayna's post before yours--you two could have a good conversation about the cost of fast food!
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting post. I never thought to connect sustainability with the fast food systems yet, they correlate so well. Although several restaurants are now attempting to implement a better systems(McDonald's-salads,oatmeal,apples,etc..)I personally feel that the advertising methods are slightly different. There are more advertisements for the Big Macs and Daily Doubles oppose to the salads, apple dippers and milks.
ReplyDeleteSince you are my rommate, you know how much I love the McDonald's dollar menu salad. However, I agree with you that there is a problem in America with fast food. I think a great way to influence people to eat better would be to show them how some popular fast foods are made. I watched the episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution where he showed how restaurants and food distributors make chicken nuggets. That was enough for me to be turned away from them! If people knew what was in the food they were consuming, maybe they would care more!
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