Fast Food Nation

by Eric Schlosser

published

July 1st 2005 (first published 2001) by Harper Perennial

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binding

Paperback, 399 pages

isbn

0060838582 (isbn13: 9780060838584)

description

On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftin...more

[close] On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat.

Schlosser's investigation reaches its frightening peak in the meatpacking plants as he reveals the almost complete lack of federal oversight of a seemingly lawless industry. His searing portrayal of the industry is disturbingly similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written in 1906: nightmare working conditions, union busting, and unsanitary practices that introduce E. coli and other pathogens into restaurants, public schools, and homes. Almost as disturbing is his description of how the industry "both feeds and feeds off the young," insinuating itself into all aspects of children's lives, even the pages of their school books, while leaving them prone to obesity and disease. Fortunately, Schlosser offers some eminently practical remedies. "Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior," he writes. Where to begin? Ask yourself, is the true cost of having it "your way" really worth it? --Lesley Reed

You are what you eat. But do you really know what you’re eating?

Britain eats more fast food than any other country in Europe. Rates of obesity and food poisoning spiral upwards, but it seems we just can’t get enough of those tasty burgers and fries.

This myth-shattering book tells the story of America and the world’s infatuation with fast food, from its origins in 1950s southern California to the global triumph of a handful of burger and fried chicken chains. In a meticulously researched and powerfully argued account, Eric Schlosser visits the labs where scientists re-create the smell and taste of everything - from cooked meat to fresh strawberries; talks to the workers at abattoirs with some of the worst safety records in the world; explains exactly where the meat comes from and just why the fries taste so good; and looks at the way the fast food industry is transforming not only our diet but our landscape, economy, workforce and culture.

Both funny and terrifying, Fast Food Nation will make you think, but more than that, it might make you realize you don’t want a quick bite after all.

‘Fast Food Nation has lifted the polystyrene lid on the global fast food industry … it could even change the way we eat’ Observer

‘Not only will it make you think twice before eating your next hamburger … it will also make you think about the fallout that the fast food industry has had on the social and cultural landscape’ The New York Times

‘The grisliest description of fast food ever written’ Daily Telegraph

‘If the idea of a three-storey, illuminated Ronald McDonald strikes you as a blight on the landscape, this book is for you’ Globe and Mail
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Bookshop rated it:

05/18/08

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2008

I could easily give this book a 5 for its well-researched and informative content, its engaging pacing, its excellent mix of dry facts and gossipy tone. I literally couldn't put the book down since I picked it up from my sister's bookshelf.

I started reading with high hopes. I heard so much about the book and how it changes people's perception on fast food. I do not eat a lot of fast food but I enjoy my occasional burgers from Burger King, crave Chicken McNuggets from time to time and adore K...more I could easily give this book a 5 for its well-researched and informative content, its engaging pacing, its excellent mix of dry facts and gossipy tone. I literally couldn't put the book down since I picked it up from my sister's bookshelf.

I started reading with high hopes. I heard so much about the book and how it changes people's perception on fast food. I do not eat a lot of fast food but I enjoy my occasional burgers from Burger King, crave Chicken McNuggets from time to time and adore KFC with heaps of fries, rice and ketchup.

The book begins with the history of McDonalds which encompasses not only the corporate history but also the history of fast food and its supporting industries. So far so good. As I proceed, I find it hard to accept its two major themes: big corporations are the big bad wolf who feast on little people and the king of the pack is McDonalds.

Although the author writes that he doesn't say McDonald and the fast food corporations are the roots of all American problems, he essentially implies so throughout the book. That is not fair. The reason for finger pointing to McDonald and some unknown Carl Jr and Jack in the Box is not apparent in the book. Brand-wise, I wonder how KFC fare in all these debacle although tacobell, owned by the same company, gets an honorary mention. Consumerism-wise, what about those insatiable American appetites?

Another strong message is that the big corporations sell cheap food, by taking advantage of suppliers and their poor, illiterate workers, not from the goodness of their hearts but for humongous profits. Fair enough. But he goes on to argue that the marketing tactics employed, though necessary, are unethical. I am not comfortable with this statement. Since when have we all lost our cognitive power and freedom of choice? When an advertisement says that drinking insecticide is good for us, won't our instinct warn us otherwise? If the kids insist on eating McDonald to collect the latest figurine from Nemo, where are the parents with conscience who will firmly tell them no when a no is warranted?

I have no problem with presenting selected facts to support a theory or argument. But I have problem with authors who do not explore or conveniently neglect the other side of the equation. One particularly disturbing fact-massaging is his argument that fast food restaurants are favourite crime targets and the crimes are mostly inside jobs. On the same page, he mentions that fast food industries have high labour turnover and can afford only to hire people with questionable background. Now, is it chicken first? Or egg?

The author offers obvious solutions in the epilogue. One of the most irritating ones is proposing that free-roaming cattle rearing is the way to go. He conveniently avoids these questions: How can he reconcile the math of vast overhead to maintain the land, huge labour cost (we want our workers to be paid and insured well), and small customer base (transporting meat to all over the country is bad!) with affordable prices? Aren't these organic, grass-fed beef normally sold in chic upscale supermarkets? Is he suggesting no-child policy to curb the population and to make way for those healthy, happy cows?

The book doesn't stop me from anything. Prior to reading, I already know that these fried foods are not good for my health and moderation is key to all my eating activities. I enjoy reading the book but feel misled by its content. The problem with the fast food nation is not the cheap end-product at high social cost but the lack of common sense and excessive gluttony of its consumers.

I remember someone who wrote an email full of expletive because, after reading this book, he felt McDonalds caused his children's addiction to the Happy Meals. Now I understand why he, like countless fans, was so readily bought: the book's theme is David vs. Goliath, its tone straight from tabloids, its information tasty morsels from the dark side of an otherwise wholesome industry. The book provides ammunition for people who prefer to absolve personal responsibilities. In short, this book is served the way people like it, regardless of its content....less

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Jeff rated it:

08/11/07

Read in January, 2005

recommends it for: Peole with who love salt

"As God as my witness, I shall never eat another hamburger as long as I shall live!" That's what I said after reading this book. Then the phone rang. It was my friend who wanted to go grab a quick bite at Wendy's. I had a cheeseburger. I never looked back baby!
It's not that this book paints the fast food industry in a wicked horrible light. It doesn't become a witch hunt, this isn't "Hey, you know, Elie Wiesel is right, Nazi's are real sons of bitches!" (which is what...more "As God as my witness, I shall never eat another hamburger as long as I shall live!" That's what I said after reading this book. Then the phone rang. It was my friend who wanted to go grab a quick bite at Wendy's. I had a cheeseburger. I never looked back baby!
It's not that this book paints the fast food industry in a wicked horrible light. It doesn't become a witch hunt, this isn't "Hey, you know, Elie Wiesel is right, Nazi's are real sons of bitches!" (which is what I expect most people think after reading Night. I've never read it myself... I just expect people think that after reading said book... though to be honest, most people probably think that already, unless you're Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), but it's not all puppys and flowers either. Really, it's rich old white men looking out for themselves (and who else are they going to look out for?)
It's been a few years since I've read the book, so I could be wrong about this, but I'm going to say this book isn't even as harsh on the fast food industry as Supersize Me (A film which I refuse to see, because: Duh! Eat nothing but fast food for a month and you're going to get sick? Who was shocked by this movie? "No, but you don't get it... it's how sick he was, and how fast." That's usually the opposing argument I get. I still say "Duh!" I'm going to make a movie where I shoot up heroin three times a day for a month, or smoke seven packs of cigarettes a day for a month, or hit myself in the head with a hammer five times a day for a month, and see what happens. I really want people to say, "Man, I knew that hitting yourself in the head with a hammer was dangerous, but who knew how dangerous it could be. I mean he was brain damaged by the second day! I'm never hitting myself in the head with a hammer again!" But I digress, this isn't about film... this is about books).
It's a pretty good book for the history lesson on how fast food got started, and how the industry has done a good job screwing everyone from farmers, to fat kids, to illegal migrant workers, to small business owners, to who knows who else. And just when you start to think, "Man, screw fast food..." the author himself says he still eats fast food... then you think, "I sure do like them McDonalds fries." Then you hear about the newest Halo 3 tie in at Burger King, where not only will your fries be wrapped in a Halo 3 themed package, but your soda will come in a Halo 3 cup!?!?"
So what, so what if the meat might be tainted with the fingers of an illegal, or so what if the farmer who sold the slaughtered cow can barely aford new boots, dammit, I want it my way, and I want it my way now!
Plus there is this one part of the book that talks about how some fast food companies will donate money to schools in exchange for advertising space or a spot in the cafeteria... and let's be honest, what would you rather have fat smart kids, or fat dumb kids? (Smart thin kids isn't an option- this is public school we're talking about here).
It's a light romp through the dark underbelly of the fast food world. It'll learn you but good, and it certainly gave me pause, right before I went out and got a #4 supersized with a Dr. Pepper (cause Dr. Pepper rulz)....less

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fleegan rated it:

08/13/07

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2005

I thought that this book was going to be like Super-size Me only in book form. Not that the author would eat McDonalds everyday but that he would talk mostly about the unhealthiness of fast food.

I was wrong.

The author barely touches the "fast food is full of fat and fattiness" deal. He mainly talks about the greed, power, and evilness of fast food companies. I would read this book in the mornings as i drank my coffee and I would get so mad at how only a few people can make so ...more I thought that this book was going to be like Super-size Me only in book form. Not that the author would eat McDonalds everyday but that he would talk mostly about the unhealthiness of fast food.

I was wrong.

The author barely touches the "fast food is full of fat and fattiness" deal. He mainly talks about the greed, power, and evilness of fast food companies. I would read this book in the mornings as i drank my coffee and I would get so mad at how only a few people can make so many people miserable. I would cry at the working conditions of the meat industry (and trust me, i'm not crying over the cows. it's the workers that have it so bad that i just want to take them all away from that horrible job and give them all sacks of money and comfortable chairs to sit on.)

He discusses the ranchers, the feedlots, the slaughter houses, and the packaging companies. He talks about the potato farms. He talks about minimum wage. He talks about how our government is supposed to regulate and keep us safe from unhealthy meat and that it not only doesn't do that, but CAN'T do that, legally. The USDA cannot recall meat that is unhealthy. It has no rights to do that. The meat companies can voluntarily recall meat, but they can't be forced to, even if the meat is infected with epidemic proportions of e. coli 0157:H7, which, as far as i can tell, is like ebola, it turns your organs into mush.

The meat industry is so corrupt and has bought so many republican congressmen that it has no watchdogs, no police. OSHA is not allowed to investigate a factory unless the injury records show above the national average. The meat companies hire doctors to lie about the severity of injuries and, and, and they keep two injury logs. the real one and the one they turn in to OSHA. This is illegal. And when the companies are caught they have to pay a piddly fine.
The FDA doesn't care about the food you eat. They only care about prescription drugs.
The USDA is not allowed to police the thing it was set up to police. (This is not new and it's also the reason i don't drink milk.) The author also says that the government will not change any of this. That the only way to make some change is if McDonalds will make the change. So if enough people complain and make bad press about McDonalds using nasty beef instead of clean, grass-fed cows...nothing will change.

He discusses the franchise/franchisee relationships.

He discusses the hisory of fast food and the american west. It's amazing.

This book was so interesting. If I were to become a vegetarian it would not be because I had a problem with the way cows are treated. Nay, it would be because of the treatment of humans.

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Ryan rated it:

09/07/08

Read in September, 2008

This is a great addition to a "food industry" collection (others would be Twinkie Deconstructed and Omnivore's Dilemma). It is a wealth of history and sometimes what appear to be random facts, but the author does a decent job tying them together.

The chapter on Colorado Springs was excellent. My family lived there until 2000 and his description is everything I remembered. I even remember the McDonald's playland at Academy and San Miguel where I took my kids to play. They loved it. M...more This is a great addition to a "food industry" collection (others would be Twinkie Deconstructed and Omnivore's Dilemma). It is a wealth of history and sometimes what appear to be random facts, but the author does a decent job tying them together.

The chapter on Colorado Springs was excellent. My family lived there until 2000 and his description is everything I remembered. I even remember the McDonald's playland at Academy and San Miguel where I took my kids to play. They loved it. My daughter's first experience drinking from a straw was at McDonald's (though the bonding experience with McDonald's is overshadowed by her demand for her 'giraffe'...her word for straw). We stopped eating at fast food restaurants - mostly - after their father died, and even more after we moved to New York. Too many tasty delis to bother with processed foods.

The information on scent and flavor compliments those in the Twinkie and Omnivore books. Horrifying that was the vast majority of people eat isn't "real".

All three books have left me with the sense of a missing piece in the slow/natural food movements highlighted by Polyface Farms in Omnivore, and in an excellent documentary on the apple industry in Wenatchee (Broken Limbs). The best description of the missing piece is 'home ec' - that class from high school where you planned a meal, made a pillow and baked some muffins. Maybe. I am a reasonably educated woman and I've no idea what to do with squash...or vast quantities of zucchini. I don't have a large family to cook for so its difficult to keep fresh foods. And my 'educated' status means that somehow menial tasks like cooking is beneath me - I'm far too enlightened for such domestic behavior. There is lots of sarcasm in that sentence. I've discovered an immense amount of satisfaction in not needing frozen dinners and am interested in what one should do with squash (even if I don't do it). But if I, as an educated, relatively well-off person struggles to gain a this type of knowledge, how can people who really ARE busy working two minimum wage jobs, using public transportation and raising small kids? Food stamps don't go as far because people are buying expensive frozen/prepared foods because thats what marketing says they should buy. In fact, we tell ourselves that we NEED things like McDonalds...when we really should know what to do with squash.

I wonder if the slow food movement could take advantage of the marketing machine that has made eating in the car part of our culture? Or are the two ideas - slow food and marketing - mutually exclusive. What if the sustainable food people had a mascot as recognizable as Ronald MacDonald. Would it change the nature of that movement the way the idea of "organic" has been bastardized as it becomes mainstream?

I think that the 'home ec' piece is missing. We need to teach children what to do with squash so they know it exists and will have the choice of squash or McDonald's when they get older.

Another idea..."low cost" and "inexpensive" food. The push has been to streamline production to keep costs low. The book identifies one of the flaws in the food production chain - transportation. There is the idea that food is cheap because it doesn't really include the cost of maintaining the infrastructure required to transport it. Only recently have I seen any significant increase in food costs and that is due to fuel. Perhaps the flaw is in our belief that we are entitled to "cheap" food.

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Emily rated it:

06/12/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: Anyone with a conscience!

Wowwwww.

By the time you finish reading this book, you will strongly consider becoming either a vegan or a hard-core local eater, or both. I took a tiny bit of comfort in knowing that I eat vegan about half the days in the year; still, the book really scared me. It's hard, factual journalism with a huge section of footnotes in the back. As much as I'd love to dispute some of Schlosser's claims, I look around me and see evidence to support what he says about the amount of cheap food we eat ...more Wowwwww.

By the time you finish reading this book, you will strongly consider becoming either a vegan or a hard-core local eater, or both. I took a tiny bit of comfort in knowing that I eat vegan about half the days in the year; still, the book really scared me. It's hard, factual journalism with a huge section of footnotes in the back. As much as I'd love to dispute some of Schlosser's claims, I look around me and see evidence to support what he says about the amount of cheap food we eat and what it's doing to us.

Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a book that vilifies fast food. Chains like In-N-Out Burger are extolled for using fresh, safe meat and peeling their own potatoes. Nor does it vilify carnivores. The gist of the book is that, in our relentless demand for a cheaper, more efficient system, we have neglected the human element of each phase of food preparation, from farm to plate. Something has gone horribly wrong.

The author avoids what could be a smug, glib attitude in favor of an urgent, prodding tone: it is clear he believes we are in a crisis, and he is probably right. It's hard to go back to your favorite restaurant and order a hamburger after reading "What's in the Meat," or to complain about work after finishing "The Most Dangerous Job." Serious stuff.

I do think Schlosser comes down way too hard on conservatives in the book, and he admits in the epilogue that to be fair, many liberals are guilty of the same sins. For instance, the Clinton family has close ties to the poultry industry in much the same was as the Bush family does to the beef industry (which is the primary subject of his research.)

Finally, I applaud his conclusion, which is a very pragmatist (and even capitalist) approach: in a free market, we vote in dollars spent. If, through our purchases, we demand safer meat, fresher produce, and fair pay for food service industry workers, we will get what we want. It's a simple matter of doing research before we buy, of supporting small farms who do things the old, slow, respectful way.

Well, I'd say "enjoy" . . . but I read it too! I gave it three stars only because I couldn't justify saying I "loved it" when it consistently made me want to skip dinner. But I'm glad I read it. You should read it too.

Kyrie eleison!...less

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Ralph rated it:

09/30/08

Read in September, 2008

I have avoided reading this book simply because sometimes I prefer not to know some things. I like meat. I am a carnivorian, but I don't necessarily want to know what's going on in the slaughterhouses. I prefer ignorance. My curiousity finally got the best of me.

The book focuses on the following main points (among others):
- A history of how hamburgers and fries became the quintessential meal in the 50s
- A history of how some of our major fast food chains started
- The globalizat...more

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Eric added it (review of isbn 0141006870)

05/31/08

Depressing read. Note the one of the sentences in the epilogue ,though: "the executives who run the fast food industry are not bad men. They are businessmen. They will sell free-range, organic, grass-fed hamburgers if you demand it". Sounds reasonable enough.

The US meatpacking industry sounds seriously scary, especially combined with the idea that they have the money and clout to resist sensible regulation. Also unsettling to see the likes of ConAgra moving out into the rest o...more Depressing read. Note the one of the sentences in the epilogue ,though: "the executives who run the fast food industry are not bad men. They are businessmen. They will sell free-range, organic, grass-fed hamburgers if you demand it". Sounds reasonable enough.

The US meatpacking industry sounds seriously scary, especially combined with the idea that they have the money and clout to resist sensible regulation. Also unsettling to see the likes of ConAgra moving out into the rest of the world.

I wonder if things have improved much here in 2008 (this book came out in 2001, I think). Also, I wonder if things really are better in France, as they seem to be (for example, EU banning of bovine growth hormone, French meat always being labeled as veg-fed only). I also wonder how the UK (mad cow land) 2008 compares to France.

Still, you can see why reducing meat consumption in general might be a very good idea. It reminds me of Mark Bittman's talk What's Wrong with What We Eat. Bittman points out that for health and environmental reasons, it would make sense for all of us to curtail our meat consumption. For example, eating half as much meat as we normally do would be a good start. He says that experts on disease reduction recommend up to 220g of meat a week (which is what USians eat a day). You don't need any more than that.

Interesting factoids from the book:

[1:] artificial and natural flavour additives are the same thing... in fact, in the particular case of almond flavour, the artificial source can be safer (the natural one has traces of cyanide). You're probably better off not eating any processed foods in the first place, but if you're going to do it, don't be fooled by "natural" flavour.

[2:] good purchasing power gives fast food giant access to the cleanest meats... the Jack in the Box scare did some good in that meatpackers are now willing to do the kind of testing they always resisted, in order to get McBusiness. Interesting positive side-effect of market forces and a litigious society? On the other hand, what goes on in the kitchen (but apathetic, underpaid, undertrained staff) could be a serious disaster. Also, what about the meat that you buy from the supermarket?

[3:] most E. coli is actually useful and normal to us. The strain(s) that produce Shiga toxins, on the other hand, is what gets us.
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DaNela rated it:

07/24/08

It has been awhile since I had closed this book for the final time, but what I learned while in the pages has stuck with me.

I have friends who don't want me to tell them anything from this book because they get the majority of their "nutrition" from our nations fast food restaurants. I have tried to
explain to them that although the book is mainly about Fast Food, there is so much more to be learned from it. I've also pointed out that just by saying that, they know deep down
th...more It has been awhile since I had closed this book for the final time, but what I learned while in the pages has stuck with me.

I have friends who don't want me to tell them anything from this book because they get the majority of their "nutrition" from our nations fast food restaurants. I have tried to
explain to them that although the book is mainly about Fast Food, there is so much more to be learned from it. I've also pointed out that just by saying that, they know deep down
that thses places aren't good for them and shouldn't be eating the food anyways.

I never was a big fan of fast food, but I'll admit there was a period of about 2 years where I ate Taco Bell or McD's 3 to 4 times a week. The food isn't really that great- the appeal is it's fast, cheap, and convenient for a work day meal.

My change was actually slow after reading the book (and I still go to Culvers with the Fam when I don't have a meal planned and we need a quick dinner). I was actually repulsed by the idea of ever eating at another fast food joint, but at the same time had cravings for McD's fries...so I continued to visit for wahile. Then McD's started playing those I'm Lovin It commercials (and you can't watch the Disney Channel for more than 30 minutes without seeing
Ronald at least once).....the wave hit me, I realized that I had been denying what I had learned and I couldn't continue to be blinded and I couldn't continue to support the fast
food giant by eating there anymore. The whole I'm Lovin It thing DISGUSTS me! They are blatantly targeting those of us who didn't grow up eating out all the time when younger-
just those special occasions when our parents took us out.

But still I remain a hypocrite in this area....I refuse to eat at McD's, Taco Bell, KFC, Wendy's, etc., but have dined at Culvers, Taco Johns, & A&W in the past year, on average
about once a month. And the daycare does order every other week. So although the book has opened my eyes so to speak, a little bit of the "appeal" is still controlling me.

If you are like my blind friends who try to ignore me whenever I bring up the subject, I make my plea-please just scan the book-just reading it isn't going to make you never eat at another fast food restaurant again! Learn what it has to teach and if it does open your
eyes, all the better, but you can always walk away from it saying it's filled with bs.

*BIO*
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Furzecat rated it:

(review of isbn 0141006870)

07/31/07

bookshelves: everyhomeshouldhaveone, non-fiction, state-of-the-world

Read in January, 2005

recommends it for: Everyone

To be truthful, I didn't think it was going to tell me a lot more about junk-food than I didn't already know. It did!

I thought it would concentrate on health issues in regards to things like the amount of sugar, salt and fat in the average fast-food meal. However, Schlosser's book is horrifying because of the OTHER stuff that's in it. Vegetarians and anyone else concerned with animal welfare will not be at all surprised with the abuses caused by farming methods connected with the fast foo...more

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Carly rated it:

07/26/08

bookshelves: 2008

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Open minded people

Something occurred to me while finishing this book. While I was reading Fast Food Nation, I was also finishing the seventh Harry Potter. Everyone who had already read HP told me how good it is, how they cried, etc. And yes, HP was endearing. But FFN was to an even greater extent I feel.

While most readers engage themselves in fiction, nonfiction is highly ignored—and I’m guilty of this maybe more than anyone else. But reading FFN gave me all of the same strong emotions that reading...more Something occurred to me while finishing this book. While I was reading Fast Food Nation, I was also finishing the seventh Harry Potter. Everyone who had already read HP told me how good it is, how they cried, etc. And yes, HP was endearing. But FFN was to an even greater extent I feel.

While most readers engage themselves in fiction, nonfiction is highly ignored—and I’m guilty of this maybe more than anyone else. But reading FFN gave me all of the same strong emotions that reading fiction does. I am angered at the villain (in this case large corporations that will do anything for money, including lie to their clients), and I feel emotionally attached to the victims—the rancher, the meatpacker, the fast food franchisee, and the consumer of this meat. But then the realization hits me—this is real.

These huge corporations are really recruiting poor, unskilled laborers, often immigrants to perform very dangerous jobs, refusing them decent wages, insurance, or worse yet, workers compensation when they hurt themselves. While it is true that the evidence is anecdotal, it is perhaps the only evidence that will ever be available, since these companies have a long unpunished history of lying. Lying to their workers, lying to the government, and lying to their customers.

At first I was simply horrified by the human aspect. How terribly these companies treat their workers. It is extremely despicable, but even I cannot capture all of the terrors. You’ll have to read the book to understand.

But after the human aspect, FFN took a twist toward The Jungle. Sinclair would be truly pleased. The fact that these companies are so powerful, they don’t have to test their meats for salmonella or e. coli is awesome: unless you’re one of the millions of unsuspecting meat eaters in the world. It’s truly sickening how much power these companies have. The government has the power to recall all kinds of defective merchandise, but not potentially lethal meat.

Obviously this book has a very liberal bias. But so do I, so I don’t mind much. It took a LONG time to read, but is worth it I feel.
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Wellington rated it:

02/24/08

Read in January, 2006

Fast food is fast, cheap and filling. It’s one of the best deals from a financial sense for the average American. However, we do not see the hidden costs.

The story begins with the birth of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Carl’s Jr. Supported by the addition of the automobile to the American household, the fast food companies exploded. In efforts to expand, the entrepreneurs had to standardize the preparation and products of the franchise.

In the process they made the process...more

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G added it

06/24/08

bookshelves: must-read

Since we are what we eat, it's probably a good idea to know where your food comes from. If you eat non-organic beef or chicken, even if it's not fast food, you should read this book. There may be other books about our nation's food supply that also deserve a place in a "must read" list, but so far this book is the most accessible one I have read.

I had already quit fast food before reading this book, but after reading it I decided I needed to stop eating non-organic meat altogethe...more

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Bekah rated it:

07/14/08

"The animals keep strolling up, oblivious to what comes next, and he stands over them and shoots. For eight and a half hours, he just shoots. As I stand there, he misses a few times and shoots the same animal twice. As soon as the steer falls, a worker grabs one of its hind legs, shackles it to a chain, and the chain lifts the huge animal into the air. I watch the knocker knock cattle for a couple of minutes. The animals are powerful and imposing one moment and then gone in an instant, susp...more

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Rachel rated it:

11/30/07

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in June, 2002

(written 6/02)

Magnificent. Investigative journalism packed with facts but still interesting on every level. Not only covers practices of the fast food industry but also their suppliers, meatpacking, chains and franchising in general, globalization, and the detrimental effect all of this has on health and culture. The USDA buying meat rejected by fast food companies in order to provide cheap school lunches!? Evil ConAgra and other huge corporations. Money-grubbing bastards with too much ...more

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Sam rated it:

05/14/08

Read in April, 2008

I'm really glad I took the time to read this book and learn more of the fast food industry and its effect on the today's way-of-life or lifestyle.

I felt the book was thoroughly researched and sided on the negative side of the fast food restaurants. The book mainly discussed the working conditions of meat packing plants, the processing of potatoes or french fries, the elimination of small cattle farmers, and the dangerous working conditions at slaughter houses.

I originally began read...more

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Ruben rated it:

04/03/08

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone

Fast Food Nation is probably the most informative and disturbing book out there. Many people have claimed that after reading this they will never eat fast food again. Even though I will probably continue, I probably will definitely go less often. The amount of facts in this book make you question how these fast-food chains have even thrived for so long. The way that the meat is handled in the meat-packing factories to the ingredients that are used in all of the foods can make someone cringe. Aft...more