Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

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Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

by Eric Schlosser

3.65 · rating details · 116,148 ratings · 3,433 reviews

Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from Ca

...more

Paperback, 520 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Harper Perennial (first published January 17th 2001)

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Aug 11, 2007

Jeff rated it

· review of another edition

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 ...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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Aug 13, 2007

fleegan rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

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 peo...moreI 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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May 18, 2008

Bookshop rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

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...moreI 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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Mar 19, 2011

Nancy rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction, politics, sociology, labor

Fast Food Nation is a fascinating and very readable book. In some ways it reminds me of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. It's not only a critique of fast food, the chemicals we are ingesting and the health problems we are facing, it is also critical of a system that allows exploitation of young, old and immigrant workers, and of the suburban sprawl that resulted from the eradication of efficient and environmentally friendly public transportation by the auto industry. The author focuses his criticis...more

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Feb 28, 2009

Nurul rated it

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Shelves: culinary, scienceandnature

I started reading this book after having lunch at a fast food restaurant....

Have you ever been bored of cooking, would like to get away from stressful problem, trying to find a place where you can eat while your children can play, or trying to find a fast testable tasteful food? …..

I grew up in a country where rice is the staple food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My first acquaintance with fast food was in mid 80’s. School and work have brought me to different cultu...moreI started reading this book after having lunch at a fast food restaurant....

Have you ever been bored of cooking, would like to get away from stressful problem, trying to find a place where you can eat while your children can play, or trying to find a fast testable tasteful food? …..

I grew up in a country where rice is the staple food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My first acquaintance with fast food was in mid 80’s. School and work have brought me to different culture and different countries which forced me to survive to various tastes and culinary culture. But this first touch of fast food has sometimes become a ‘get-away’ path for me.

After long hours of studying (or dance practice), I still remember of having late supper at “three letters” fast food restaurant down at College Station Road, Athens (GA) with friends. Years after that during Eid, some friends and I were having dinner again at this ‘three letters’ restaurant in Newcastle, UK., because we were too busy and couldn’t find time to have a proper Eid meals. I also recalled couple of visits in this restaurant chain in Menado or Kendari after long weeks of hiking and staying in remote places of Talaud or Buton.

This book was not just about the food, but the whole industry related to fast food, the franchise, the packaging, the workers and their welfare, and the lethal E.coli !!!. Ouch! How lucky I was surviving from the possibility of facing the impact of this industry, at least to my health. Trend is like virus, very contagious. I am wondering if we’re having the similar problems in my country. Malls are everywhere, face-to-face. When one food vendor becomes popular, everyone wants to be in the first queue of tasting it and the others build similar types of stores or sell similar types of food. The use of borax in meatballs or tofu has drawn our attention to be more careful in selecting or buying our food.

Indonesian meals particularly home-made meals are still my preference these days. It is healthier but is time consuming to prepare especially like me who put the same seriousness in cooking as in studying. One thing I could not avoid, the potato products… Chips and fries… sigh!
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Jun 12, 2007

Emily rated it

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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...moreWowwwww.

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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Jul 07, 2007

Trevor rated it

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There are some shady rhetorical techniques used in this book. I particularly mean the chapter that begins with the little boy who dies after eating at a fast food restaurant. At the chapter's opening is a picture of the boy. It's sad. Then the chapter tells the story. Schlosser builds up a load of pathos to prove his point that fast food is so awful it kills children. Then, in a cursory statement, Schlosser divulges that the boy had other problems and died of a cause unrelated to the food h...more

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Mar 08, 2008

George Bradford rated it

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Shelves: america

Another title for this entertaining book could have been "Our disposable society: How our utter disrespect for our selves, each other and our environment created the world we live in today."

The automobile's destructive force on American life was been well documented in other works. But Schlosser extends that work specifically as it relates to the food industry. Not just fast food. But the entire food industry. And it's scary stuff.

Bottom line: we're killi...more

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Sep 08, 2007

Danine rated it

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I grew up in Greeley, CO. It was interesting to read about how your hometown is a home base for slaughterhouses. At night the entire town smells bad. I could relate to this book because I lived in Greeley and I can relate to this book because I am not fond of fast food.

The book talks about the start of burger joints and how they grew to be such an influence in today's society. The author discusses the life of workers and the working conditions in the meat packing plants. This int...more

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Dec 10, 2007

Jon rated it

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This is one of those books that everyone talks about, but it's obvious only 10% of them have read it. Everyone told me to read this because it talks about how horrible fast food is and how I'll never eat meat again and how horrible and stupid Americans are and how George Bush personally forces 200 million people to eat 10,000 calories a day. Jesus Christ.

This book is a decently researched and not that sensationalist (see also Supersize Me) view of the history of fast food and how i...more

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Aug 10, 2007

Amanda rated it

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This book was an incredible eye-opener for me. The book can be a little difficult to wade through because of all the facts and figures, but it is well worth it. I recommend the audio book version if you prefer not to read all the numbers.

What I really loved about this book was that it wasn't just a laundry-list of the reasons fast-food is bad for your health. The book discusses the impacts of the fast food industry from every point of view: how it's changed American culture, how...more

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Jul 12, 2007

Linda rated it

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Shelves: onlyreadhalfofit

I heard such great things about this book, but I have to say that I really had a hard time digesting it. Sorry, that pun was intended. It had so much gloom and doom and I really lost interest. Plus, I felt like I already knew more than half of the gross-out, oppressive factoids it spewed at me. The only part I enjoyed was when it talked about In-N-Out Burger and what a great employer they are and that John 3:16 is printed on the bottom of the cups. When I went to an In-N-Out and the clerk handed...more

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Mar 21, 2011

Manny rated it

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Shelves: science, well-i-think-its-funny

There's a witty and disturbing satire by Stanislaw Lem called The Futurological Congress. It's one of those books where the hero gradually comes to understand that the world isn't as it seems. He's ended up in this future utopia, but there are some puzzling details that don't quite fit. For example, why do people often appear out of breath when they get out of the elevator?

In the end, all is revealed. He's sitting with a friend in a fancy restaurant, and (view spoiler)...more

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Aug 01, 2008

Katrin rated it

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Oh my GOD. You will never eat fast food again (or any processed food for tht matter). It is incredulous what food comapanies are getting away with - what they allow to get into the food they rpocess, the unscrupulous way they handle employees, the calaous way they treat consumers. Please read this book. Save yourself, your kids, our small farmers, and our planet. Put your money somehwere else.

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Dec 28, 2008

Andrew rated it

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Recommends it for: everyone

I expected this story to be the written version of Supersize Me, but it is actually much more comprehensive. Schlosser provdes a pretty in-depth history of the development of the cattlle, poultry, and potato industries and also fast-food chains. Schlosser has his moments of leftist, Republican-bashing arguments, but for the most part he tells a balanced story. The meatpacking industry comes off looking very malicious, but surprisingly Schlosser is somewhat light on his criticism fast food chains...moreI expected this story to be the written version of Supersize Me, but it is actually much more comprehensive. Schlosser provdes a pretty in-depth history of the development of the cattlle, poultry, and potato industries and also fast-food chains. Schlosser has his moments of leftist, Republican-bashing arguments, but for the most part he tells a balanced story. The meatpacking industry comes off looking very malicious, but surprisingly Schlosser is somewhat light on his criticism fast food chains. He does not talk extensively on the obesity epidemic that is fueled by Big Fast Food.

I think the pertinent themes that resonate in this book are:
1) The drive for smaller government is far less benign than it sounds. Regulation of industries is an undertaking that only governments (and not individuals or self-policing businesses) are equipped to do. When governments are regulating effectively, OSHA is able to ensure safe work environments, small businesses are able to stay competitive thanks to anti-trust regulations, and food products are relatively uncontaminated. When budgets get slashed, all the above (and also apparently the financial markets) are compromised.
2) Some will argue that the ends justify the means and that our food is as cheap as it is only because of the objectionable practices of the meat and fast food corporations. Schlosser argues that in fact fast food chains like In-And-Out and other companies making organic products provide decently priced foods without squeezing workers to death or being lacksadaisical with safety. A point is also made that cheap food should not be our blind end goal.
3) Turnover and low skill sounds bad for employers, but in the meatpacking and fast food industries, quick turnover and low-skilled workers are ideal in order to prevent having to provide benefits and also to prevent successful unionization.

The writing style was very smooth and easy to fly through.

All in all, this is an exemplary work of investigative reporting that will hopefully one day be regarded similarly to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.(less)

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Oct 12, 2007

Chad rated it

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Recommends it for: everyone

I may be a sucker for propoganda (I'm not questioning the authenticity of anything inparticular), but I really enjoyed how this book put things out there. Vegetarianism is so sexy.

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May 20, 2010

DiDi rated it

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Finally finished this. Was often overwhelming and wordy, but gave hope in the end. It all comes down to money. By demanding that our food suppliers use fair wage, safe, hygenic, and humane practices, we change the industry faster than any governmental law or involvement. A good read to start changing what you eat.

After watching Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution and seeing how a chicken nugget is made, then Supersize Me for the first time, and then seeing Food Inc. last night...more

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Apr 19, 2009

Lee at All Ears rated it

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Shelves: social-science, food, non-fiction

Just finished Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Love your burger?, big fries?, large coke? all served in 2 minutes and tasting the same world over? How did it all happen? Well Eric Schlosser lays it all out starting with the birth of fast food, the first drive thru, and the first McDonalds. And the industry evolved to serve it to us. You'll feel what it's like at the giant meatpacking lines, the huge potato factories, and with the soft drink syrup sellers. Henry Ford star...more

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Feb 23, 2009

Zach rated it

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That this book, unlike its spiritual ancestor The Jungle, has failed to kindle any noticeable change in public policy towards the production of meat in America is a grim reminder that today's meatpacking villains are even more vile, and have much more powerful friends, than Sinclair's. Just like Sinclair's novel, this book has also failed to spark even the tiniest bit of rebellion against the inherent injustice of industrial capitalism. I can't say you should read it because it will probably j...more

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Mar 09, 2009

Peachy rated it

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Shelves: addiction, consumerism, disturbing, made-into-movies, non-fiction, psychology, sociology, weight-loss

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Whoa! If there weren’t enough reasons I was aware of before for me to continue to avoid fast food, I have just added fifty more. Let’s put the obvious health risks involved aside and just focus on the oppressive and exploitive nature of these major corporations that are brainwashing, feeding and devouring our children, and that should be enough to have you on a soap box at Dundas Square.

Would it surprise you to know that for over two decades the right wing of the U.S. Republican Party has wo...moreWhoa! If there weren’t enough reasons I was aware of before for me to continue to avoid fast food, I have just added fifty more. Let’s put the obvious health risks involved aside and just focus on the oppressive and exploitive nature of these major corporations that are brainwashing, feeding and devouring our children, and that should be enough to have you on a soap box at Dundas Square.

Would it surprise you to know that for over two decades the right wing of the U.S. Republican Party has worked closely with the fast food industry and the meat packing industry to oppose food safety laws, worker safety laws and increases in the minimum wage? If corporations in bed with the government weren’t bad enough, we learn about the ties to the mafia and how they were used as enforcements to keep labour unions out of the slaughterhouses. Or what about the methamphetamines supplied to migrant workers to keep them awake for endless shifts in these deplorable and often fatally dangerous workplaces? How about the sexual harassment bestowed upon female workers in order to be moved to a better department, or even to just keep their horrendous jobs? Sex, Drugs and Slaughterhouses might have been a better title for this eye opening account of the dangers of mass production. The shock and awe doesn’t stop there, as Schlosser informs us that until the Clinton administration stepped in, the government purchased the cheapest ground beef available, from suppliers with repeated infractions of E. coli and Salmonella contamination, to sell in their school lunch programs.

At the end of this book I am left feeling ill, but not ill-informed, as there is a plethora of outstanding information to be absorbed. Although sometimes the writing lacked a certain flow, jumping back and forth between points, only to repeat the same information, and sometimes the same sentences. Regardless, everyone should be made to read Fast Food Nation and learn about the atrocities involved in making food fast, and corporations rich even faster. Part of me is wishing and hoping that things aren’t as bad here in Canada, but alas I am left with the feeling that greed is an international and human flaw, and that corruption knows no borders.

www.booksnakereviews.blogspot.com

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Jul 26, 2008

Carly rated it

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Recommends it for: Open minded people

Shelves: 2008

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 rea...moreSomething 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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Nov 30, 2007

Rachel rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

(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 t...more

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Dec 13, 2008

Nikki rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction, sustainability

I put this book on the "sustainability" shelf although it's more about UNsustainability. It's a while since I read it, but I do know that it helped me cut way down on my consumption of fast food! (Even before I saw Super Size Me!)

My real concern about fast food is what it may be doing to people in the lower socio-economic groups of our nation. In my previous life in the big city, I rode the bus a lot, and many of my fellow riders fell into this category. I overheard many co...more

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Dec 25, 2008

Diah Ayu rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ekosospol, foreign, non-fiction, terjemahan

awalnya seh gak niat buat kasih bintang 5 ke buku ini, tapi setelah selesai baca kok rasanya sayang banget klo cuma dikasi bintang 4, hehe.

buku ini ditulis dengan gaya jurnalisme investigatif yang luarbiasa banyak datanya. nah, data2 ini harus juga ikut dipahami supaya ntar pas dijelasin analisisnya kita bisa ikutan 'ngeh' dan paham kenapa penulisnya layak untuk bersikap emosional. gak seperti yang kukira pada awalnya, buku ini lebih dari sekedar kritikan terhadap McDonalds dan kawan...more

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Dec 29, 2008

Ben rated it

· review of another edition

I guess I expected something more gut wrenching. It gave a good history of the fast food industry, agribusiness, the meatpacking industry, and government intervention in those areas. Read this, follow it up with Skinny Bitch, watch Supersize Me, and then see if you can stop yourself from becoming a vegetarian. Note: I still love meat.

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Feb 16, 2009

Ronny rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: globalisasi-hubungan-internasional, sosial-politik, terjemahanku

Terjemahan dari tahun 2004. Jurnalisme investigasi sekaligus sastrawi yg memukau. Ga tau ya terjemahanku memadai tidak, tapi respon yang kuterima selama ini cukup bagus. Sayangnya ada beberapa kesalahan layout yg cukup mengganggu. Dan evaluasi dari penerbit: oleh penjaga toko buku sering ditaro di rak masak memasak!

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Jul 13, 2010

Adam Storey rated it

· review of another edition

I've read some other books in the same genre and seen some documentaries, but this one really made me think about our societies crummy food production and animal cruelty position. Not that I have completely given up eating meat or anything, but at least I find myself questioning my priorities a little more often.

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Dec 14, 2008

Judy rated it

· review of another edition

This book is making me hungry.

Determined not to let an imposing wall of acronyms block my progress, I forged on, ignoring my growling stomach, (which stopped growling when I read There's shit in the meat) and ended up underlining half the book, adding exclamation marks, question marks, exploding stars, asterisks, and enraged notations in the margins: How can they live with themselves!! and Those satanic conservative Republicans!! and Those Republicans AGAIN!! and every now and then ...more

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Jan 08, 2009

Michelle rated it

· review of another edition

You will not eat fast food again. Guaranteed. In fact, it will change the way you eat-period. So, if you want to eat fast food, dont read this book. Very enlightening..food industry, manufacturing, etc. It really made me look at how what we do affects our entire world, eco, etc...how it has an impact on cultures, landscape, workforce etc.

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Aug 12, 2010

Virginia rated it

· review of another edition

Excellent description of how the fast food industry started (think Ray Croc and Walt Disney)and how food production has changed to support that industry. Not for the squeamish. Now I know why some people become vegetarians!

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About Eric Schlosser

Eric Schlosser is an award-winning American journalist and author known for investigative journalism. A number of critics have compared his work to that of Upton Sinclair.

Schlosser was born in Manhattan, New York; he spent his childhood there and in Los Angeles, California. His father, Herbert Schlosser, a former Wall Street lawyer who turned to broadcasting later in his career, eventu...more

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Books by Eric Schlosser

Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market

Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food

Cogs in the Great Machine (Pocket Penguins 70's #2)

Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal Is Doing to the World

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“The history of the twentieth century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The twenty-first will no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power.” — 8 people liked it

“The spread of BSE [mad cow disease] in Europe has revealed how secret alliances between agribusiness and government can endanger the public health. It has shown how the desire for profit can overrule every other consideration. British agricultural officials were concerned as early as 1987 that eating meat from BSE-infected cattle might pose a risk to human beings. That information was suppressed for years, and the possibility of any health risk was strenuously denied, in order to protect exports of British beef. Scientists who disagreed with the official line were publicly attacked and kept off government committees investigating BSE. Official denials of the truth delayed important health measures.” — 5 people liked it

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