Fast Food Nation Essay

The idea of â€Å"fast food† has been around since before the 1920s. However, the real emergence of the industry was not until the late 1940s following the Second World War. Military based towns were desolate during the war. Once the war was over, there were many more mouths to feed and more places to put restaurant franchises. This coupled with the passing of Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway Act and the sheer drive of fast food pioneers allowed franchising to be very successful. People were able to take their new cars on the highway and take convenient off-ramps to â€Å"speedee service† restaurants (Schlosser, 20). Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald’s corporation, has created a revolutionary franchise that has become a household name all over the world. There are many theories on how this and other fast food corporations reached such success. One of the major reasons is the strategic segmentation of the human race; groups of people have been targeted as prime consumers of fast food. To consume, by definition, is to purchase goods for one’s own desires. The fast food industry has become just that, a desire to people of all statuses in society. In Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, the impact that the fast food industry has on children, parents and the foreign population as consumers is arguably detrimental in its use for economic success. The fast food industry targets many demographic groups in our society. Children are subjected to the billion dollar advertising campaigns that fast food restaurants create. Kids are enticed to purchase fast food before they can even earn money. This is where the industry makes their killing; by advertising to young children, parents are pressured to buy goods from the fast food restaurants. It’s not just getting kids to whine. It’s about giving them a specific reason to ask for the product† (Schlosser, 43). Although it is not the children specifically giving the cashier money for products, they have the tremendous power of leverage with their parents. Starting with a broad look: the restaurants themselves often times have a play area for children, McDonald’s being most notable for this. They create characters, such as Ronald McDonald and friends, to make kids feel like they are in a fun house or that the restaurant truly cares about each child. Taco bell’s chihuahua was a â€Å"cute† puppy for kids to love as well (Schlosser, 43). Kid’s meals in most fast food places are served with toys to play with. Fast food corporations began the process of synergy; they were signing with other major businesses to put popular toys in their meals. For example, Wendy’s signed with NCAA for action figures, McDonald’s signed with Ty for Beanie Babies and Pokemon cards (Schlosser, 47). When children found competition with other children to â€Å"get the next toy first,† there was a reason to come back to that restaurant. Even the color scheme on the packaging the meals come in is bright and exciting. Why would any child say no? The parents of these children and teens are also affected by the fast food industry. As previously mentioned, children pressure their parents to buy goods from fast food chains. Parents consume these goods for themselves but also represent their children, which makes up an entirely different consumer group. Fast food caters to those parents who are short on time, money or both. Parents who work long or unusual hours can count on a nearby fast food restaurant being open at all hours. Even when families are constantly on the move, a drive-thru is a quick and easier way to eat than making a meal at home or sitting down in a restaurant. In addition, parents who struggle with every penny they have can buy their family meals for a fraction of alternative options. McDonald’s company historian says, â€Å"Working-class families could now afford to feed their kids restaurant food† (Schlosser, 20). Parents want to give their children the best; being financially able to take them to restaurants is a value that could now easily be attained with the emergence of the fast-food industry. Fast food chains have expanded beyond American borders for potential growth. McDonalds alone has over seventeen thousand restaurants in over 120 countries globally. That number does not include KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King or Domino’s Pizza. They all receive a majority of their profit through overseas markets. Fast food chains symbolize Western economies and therefore, seen as the channel to economic prosperity in countries that are struggling (Schlosser, 229). Natives of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and countless other nations literally lined up for hours outside of brand new fast food franchises to purchase American food (Schlosser, 230). The billionaire responsible for bringing McDonald’s to Japan went as far as saying that eating their hamburgers would make them white, blonde and taller in stature (Schlosser, 231). The campaign to Americanize the world is more overwhelming now with people in every corner of the globe spending their money on American fast food. The saying â€Å"you are what you eat† is heavily campaigned outside of the United States. People are consuming KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s food in hopes to become more like Americans. After reading Fast Food Nation and analyzing this specific aspect of the fast food industry, I am able to form my own opinion. My first and foremost reaction to all of this is about health issues. There is a huge problem with feeding children food that is lacking in the nutrients necessary to grow and reach their highest potential in the future. Parents are feeding their children fast food but what were they [parents] fed as children? There was a lot more emphasis on home-cooked meals and the family sitting down for dinner every night back when today’s parents were growing up. Children are drinking sodas, eating processed hamburgers and other greasy foods without any previous knowledge to make that decision. They are not taught about nutrition and what they are really putting in their bodies before nagging their parents to get the latest toy in a happy meal, as an example. The most important years in a person’s life should be sustained with the best nutrients possible. I know that personally, my mother cooked a majority of my meals growing up and having fast food was a treat. Now I can make educated decisions on what foods to consume. I think that anything in moderation is acceptable; it is the families that get a different fast food meal four or five times a week that concern me. Along the same lines, parents are not setting the right examples for their children when they stop at the local drive-thru to grab dinner. There must be a balance between stimulating economies and sustaining healthy lives of all ages. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser describes children, parents and people living outside of American borders as targeted consumers by the fast-food industry. Kids are subjected to advertisements and several other ploys so that they will coerce their parents to buy them products from fast-food restaurants. Because they are such a large influence on the consumption of fast food, they are directly targeted as consumers. The parents are affected both indirectly and directly as consumers; they consume fast food for themselves and their children. Fast-food chains have made it convenient for parents who work atypical hours and those who cannot afford other meal options. With the success of the fast-food industry in America, corporations have moved their efforts to international patrons. Fast food has become a major symbol of Western living and is highly desirable to many foreign nations. The consumers’ love of fast food proves economic success, but does it show success in other aspects of human life? People have become so accustomed to purchasing fast-food meals that the entire standard of nutrition and healthy living has gone down; we truly are a fast food nation.