Blog Entry #5

Tyarra L. Lundy

Professor Smith

English 101

March 24, 2014

Blog Entry #5

Fast food industries and big companies target mainly children and teenagers. The profit to these companies increases rapidly because of the kids and teenagers. Companies such as Disney and McDonalds studies children in which they know the love relationship the kids have with toys and playgrounds. In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser states “Young children often could not tell the difference between television programming and television advertising. They also could not comprehend the real purpose of commercials and trusted that advertising claims were true.” (46). When children see interesting commercials while watching cartoon, they are bound to beg their parents for whatever it is, some parents may refuse at first but after many attempts from the child, the parents will finally give in to their child’s needs.

The fast food industry started in the 1950s in California. The largest populations of consumers were teenagers when fast food first opened, because they were able to drive in at the restaurants instead of getting out of their vehicles for food. At first they tried to make their business have a family like atmosphere, but now they market directly towards children. Teenagers are a huge contribution to fast food industries’ success. Teenagers are looking for jobs, and they know that fast food industries hire 16 and up. Hardly any training is needed to operate the machines for the food, so fast food industries hire mainly teenagers as well for the less pay.  

Is the meat we eat safe for us and our children? "Pink slime" is the common name for a controversial beef product. The recovered meat material is processed, heated, and treated with ammonia or citric acid to kill diseases such as E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration are responsible for approving the product and Beef Products, Inc. McDonald’s and other fast food places have discontinued the use of the controversial meat product known as boneless lean beef trimmings in its burgers.  It is good that McDonalds and other fast food companies have stopped using “Pink slime” because our food should be safe for us to eat and not washed by so many chemicals. The pink slime may not be sold in fast food places, but it is being given out as school lunch.

In the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser Ray Kroc and Walt Disney both became good examples, of how to make a great profit off of young minds. McDonalds may be bad for you but it is also delicious which keeps the customers coming back. It is easy to find Fast Food Companies because they are located all throughout the world. With so many fast food industries, our food should be safer for us to eat with fewer chemicals. It is our responsibility as adults to create awareness to our children to eat healthy when it comes to our bodies and environment, because these companies make use of everyone they can think of to save and earn a profit from.

 

  

Blog #4 Chapter2 "Your Trusted Friends"

     In chapter2 "Your trusted friends", Eric Schlosser talks more about the food industry, and the competition and similarities between companies. It also talks about different marketing systems fast food and soda companies that try's to target children. Advertisement and marketing create a new lifestyle for the families in America. Walt Disney and McDonald's were in competition using the same methods and values to get a greater amount of customers, that is, until they decided to work together. These companies researched child psychology and took advantage of the innocence and illogical mind of young kids. Selling to children  is much easier than selling to adults, and soda companies expect to increase their sales by marketing to children in hopes that they will like their product to want to buy often. The money that the companies were getting, gave them the opportunity to use mass media and billboards. Toys and drinks with the kids meal attracted little children.

Blog #3 Chapter1 "The Founding Fathers"

   In chapter1 "The Founding Fathers" in Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser explains how the automobile industry formed the fast food nation. Carl N. Karcher was born in 1917 on a farm in Ohio. Carl was an American businessman and one of the fast food industry's pioneers. Carl dropped out of school after the eighth grade and worked twelve to fourteen hours a day on a farm. Later in Carl's life, he moved to California where his uncle ran a business that he worked for three years, until he found a bakery that paid more money. Carl realized while working at the bakery that he could make a profit from having a small business selling hot dogs therefore he bought a hot dog stand.  He was able to buy another Hot dog stand during World War II, that his wife Margaret often ran by herself. The increase in automobiles started affecting food business and creating a whole new lifestyle.

Blog # 2 "The Meaning Of Food in My Life"

     Food is important in everyone's life and tradition. Eating Sunday dinner always brings joy to my family. In my family we like to try different things from what we normally eat. My entire family is Jamaican. We mostly eat Jamaican food which I love, and I also love American food. I often eat a lot of junk like McDonald's, Wendy's, Chinese and I don't really gain weight but I do know the food I eat is not healthy. My favorite food is Pizza and I also love macaroni and cheese. My mother does the food shopping in my house, as well as all the cooking. Furthermore, me and some of my family visited Mexico in which we enjoyed so much, and it was breathtaking because the people there were very nice. Going to Mexico was a good experience because the food was something different rather then what we usually eat.

Is America's Food Supply Safe?

      People wonder if the food we eat is safe. Many Americans question what process it goes through before it is sold to stores and some choose to ignore the situation and think the food is safe. Dr. David Acheson stated that America has one of the safest food supplies in the world. There are many diseases and viruses going on throughout the world, that we should question whether or not our food is really safe.

      The Food and Drug Administration works very hard to protect our food from bacterial, viral, and chemical contamination. With the best scientific methods available, the F.D.A is able to learn how the contamination occurred and how to prevent it. The 625 investigators working out of 20 different offices all around the country are very dedicated in ensuring that our food supply is safe, and working with companies to make sure they do everything they can to keep our food safe. The F.D.A also makes sure that the food exported to the U.S meets our standards, because our food comes from all over the world.

    There are ups and downs in ensuring our food is safe. The F.D.A educates consumers to do their part to ensure the food they eat is safe. Furthermore some stores don't do their part in keeping the food properly refrigerated, or keeping it at the right temperatures. It helps that the health department of NYC started a grading system, which appears on the front door of each restaurant, which indicates the level of food protection in each company. We have a choice whether to eat from the places with bad grading, and it also helps the companies make more profit ensuring the food is safe and that everything is clean.

     The question still stands “Is American food supply safe?” The expiration dates on food keeps people from getting sick, because it tells when the food is no longer safe to eat. We also have to do our parts and inspect our food to make sure it is safe for us to eat. People should keep their food refrigerated at right temperature, so it won’t get spoiled. The F.D.A works hard every day to ensure the safety of Americans food. Moreover, they are trying to make the food healthy for us. Finally, the fast food companies need to work harder to ensure our safety.