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.

Schlosser takes us on a crash course in American history, and it all starts with McDonalds. At the same time that Ray Kroc was envisioning how McDonalds could change the world (and make him rich), Eisenhower was overseeing the construction of the superhighway system. Almost immediately, fast food restaurants began mushrooming on the edges of freeway entrances, and America was never the same.

Fast food isn't just unhealthy, its destroying our culture. Instead of looking around at our beautiful environment, we see mostly urban sprawl: gigantic neon signs, and cookie-cutter subdivisions. Not only does this loss of beauty affect our souls, our standard of living has gone down. Gone are many good jobs. Meatcutter jobs that were part of the middle classes are now mainly occupied by illegal immigrants who are so desperate they will risk losing their fingers (or their lives) in these dangerous, difficult jobs. And what has happened to the livelihood of farmers is a national shame.

Being that this book is 20 years old, there is reason for optimism. Slow food has become a movement. Organic foods are sold in every grocery store. But we still have to make the choice. The choice of what world we wish to live in. The temptations to stop for fast food are still there. But improvements that Schlosser was dreaming of are happening, more and more.

I recommend this book because these gory details and tragic histories could freeze into our brains and be a fit reminder to bypass these common and convenient foods and begin to make changes in our lives. The history of these companies is important to know. They cared about keeping their pockets lined, at the expense of their workers. At the expense of peoples lives.

Книга, която описва развитието на индустрията на бързата закуска в САЩ. Четох я, защото има и филм по нея и я превъзнасят като монументално журналистическо разкритие на тайните на големите fast food корпорации.

Като цяло, нищо особено интересно. Дреме ми на дедовия коя година точно Макдоналдс е почнал да прави чийзбургерите с 1 унция по-големи или Нестле да слага захар в киселото мляко. Ако ядеш като прасе, ще приличаш на такова, не са ти виновни "корпорациите"...

Hello Propaganda

Although Eric Schlosser wasn’t paid 500 dollars by a socialist magazine, nor was he alive in 1904, his muckraking style and focused agenda mirror that of Upton Sinclair, the author of The Jungle. Characteristics that plague both Fast Food Nation and The Jungle include anti-capitalism, one sidedness, and convincing details that are enough to “make a vegetarian out of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Seattle Weakly),” or in Sinclair’s case, enough to launch a government investigation. Both Schlosser and Sinclair are examples of how large an impact journalism, or shall I say muckraking, can have in this free country we call America.
Despite their seemingly good intentions, however, it is impossible to ignore the overly romantic, even manipulative way Sinclair and Schlosser present their views. They feel the need to attack capitalism and “greedy companies” for every single problem we face, from disease to drug abuse. Schlosser goes as far as blaming armed robberies on McDonald’s policies rather than the criminals themselves. On the other hand, Schlosser portrays every single unskilled, blue-collar worker as a helpless victim, chewed up and spit out by evil companies. What’s more, I couldn’t help but notice that Kenny’s story from Fast Food Nation was remarkably similar to that of Jurgis’s.
But I am not fooled. I am righteous enough to challenge this propaganda and think logically for myself. Sinclair and Schlosser are trying to turn boss and worker against each other; they are trying to make enemies out of partners. There is no good guy or bad guy in this scenario. This is not a comic book; this is real life and real life comes with problems that we work together to fix. What saddens me most about Fast Food Nation is the prospect that all the time and research put into explaining, “why fries taste good,” could’ve been used to expose the live boiling of cats in China, or to enlighten underprivileged children on the importance of education.

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 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!

There was this flash of memory about this book as I stood in line to buy a pizza of late. With the tight social distancing protocols in place, the outlet was deserted and the energy of the place was subdued. The teenager taking my order (as is the norm) told me about the offers for the day and then typed away at the keyboard. While he was getting the order ready was when a lot of things from this book sprang to my mind. Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation could most easily be called a book long argument against fast food chains. While he trains his guns against the major American chain restaurants : McDonald’s (specifically)and KFC (peripherally), the topic he tackles almost extensively is the Americanization of the fast food industry. It is not just the chains that he gives a critical view of but also what goes on behind the scene including meatpacking, manual labour, aesthetics of the food items too. The homogenization of this industry is achieved through a chain of activities almost all of which are highly exploitative in nature. It is these acts of exploitation that really make the case against fast food stronger. Schlosser calls out the below :

Advertising : The core consumers for fast food remain children and focused advertising campaigns are now the norm for the industry. In the decades since this book, advertising has become for subtle and yet incredibly intelligent in the way it entrenches the idea of fast food into the psyche of children. With the way the internet has now become a necessity, focused ads have now become more personalized. Schlosser talks about how this is an area that is extensively researched and was ruthlessly exploited for monetary gain. This is a bizarre way of catching them young whereby a whole generation of children become addicted to fast food and thereby to health risks.

Labor : The section on labor exploitation covers almost 65% of the overall narrative of the book and that makes sense since these chains thrive on a cheap and unskilled labor force. For a big chunk of teenagers the fast food chain is a spring board into finding their career options later in life but they are literally squeezed dry for the time that they work with these outlets. To unearth the bigger problem areas, Schlosser widens the scope of his investigation and looks not only at the outlets but also at almost all the associated aspects of what powers a fast food restaurant. The meatpacking and french fry industries rely heavily on an illegal immigrant population to keep their systems going is something that Schlosser uncovers. Being a very dangerous type of work, the conditions on the job are next to unbearable as it treats employees like a replaceable asset. A few of the case studies that Schlosser calls out are heart wrenching examples of how individuals who are past their healthy phase of being able to work are discarded unceremoniously.

Food Hygiene : One thing that I have always liked about the chain fast food restaurants is how quickly they can turn around an order. Personally I am a to-go person when it comes to fast food and this happens only when I am travelling. Having said this though, the descriptions of how some of the food items are prepared and what the dish could probably include was enough to make me gag. Since this is a US-centric book, it also calls out some of the worst food related illnesses that fast food has been a cause for in the US. What really pricked my conscience was in understanding how vehemently the chains and their suppliers denied any form of accountability and went great lengths to do so. I shall look at burgers warily for a while now !

The author really has an axe to grind against the Republicans and never fails to hide that. The GOP gets the second best flak in the book and that did make me question the unbiased nature of the narrative. In the afterword, Schlosser clarifies this and also calls out some of the transgressions from the Democrats too. That makes it only slightly even !

Recommended. It is a very incisive work that helps you understood what goes on behind the counter in fast food chain restaurant.

Perhaps I am hard to shock. Perhaps it's a case of me having worked in the food production sector, as well as in food safety and in customer service. Perhaps I'm just a cynical bugger already, but this was mildly interesting as opposed to rocking my world in any sense

The author attempts to do a Naomi Klein 'No Logo' on the subject of 'Super Size Me' (which this precedes). It's well researched and generally comes over as convincing and properly grounded. By this I probably mean that the bias is subtle and not forced down the throat of the reader - the later sections on microbiology (about which I have expertise) contained a number of inaccuracies and assumptions which made me expect that the earlier chapters had also been slanted in the same manner. However, the key messages are pretty sound, and it was an interesting - albeit possibly now fifteen years further worse down the line in some areas and fifteen years better in others - read.

I just found some of the criticisms of the industry a little assuming. Lots about the dangers (obesity, working conditions) and not so much about the benefits (convenience, employment) and an almost complete lack of acknowledgement of free will and choice. Yes, it's not great that kids are exposed to adverts, but there is money for schools from these companies. Teenage staff are poorly paid and have a hard introduction to working life, but if they didn't have these jobs they wouldn't earn a bit of money and get a bit of independence. Fast food businesses puts huge demands on food processors who cut corners to keep it cheap, but that's because consumers put huge demands on fast food businesses to cut corners and keep it cheap. If you eat too much crap you will be unhealthy, but if you didn't know that then you deserve to get spotty and fat. There is such a thing as choice and this means parents can be responsible about what their kids eat, and be responsible about their own diets too.

With a lot of research work thrown in Shlosser tells us where, what, how, why and the when of fast food... holding back nothing!
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H'e primary focus is/was the use of artificial flavorings and colourings.. additives. At the time a best selling bombshell of a book, but now it just feels that we're all better informed but those that love fast food live by 'you only live once'!
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7 out of 12.
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First published in January 2001, "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal," by Eric Schlosser, is a nonfiction work detailing the history of the fast food industry: how these chains came into existence, and the corporate and government choices that have completely overhauled Big Ag in the process.

A large section of this book examines the modern meatpacking industry, the impacts of moving plants into areas without unions, making sure unions cannot form, and then hiring undocumented illiterate immigrants to work jobs that regularly maim and kill people, all without any government oversight and zero consequences.

"Fast Food Nation" is an examination of modern food industries that lack humanity at every level, companies that put out products contaminated with fecal matter (and many other adulterants), which sickens and kills people each year.

The USDA and the FDA allow this to happen. Over twenty years later, this is still happening. The unchecked power of these multinational, monopolistic corporations has gotten nothing but stronger.

I absolutely loved this book. This is one of the very best books I've ever read in my life.

Five million stars.

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 just fill you with bland liberal outrage, but it's a very good primer on the myriad ways in which a fundamentally amoral system allowed to run wild has devastated the physical health and economic well-being of countless Americans. In that sense, it dovetails very nicely with No Logo, and can be read as a detailed case study of Klein's thesis as it applies to the fast food industry.

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 me my cup, I immediately flipped it over and saw the John 3:16 and then showed my two friends. The worker behind the counter asked what I was looking at and I showed him. When he said that he had no idea that those words were under the cups, it made me happy to know that In-N-Out wasn't forcing their religious beliefs down their workers' throats. Mmmm... For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only a juicy In-N-Out burger. Amen!

Far from being yet another one of these easy thrashing of thrash food sold in fast food, the journalist Eric Schlosser delivers here a well-researched investigation of everything surrounding the manufacturing of such junk. From jobs on offer in such 'restaurants' (the sadly infamous 'McJobs') to the consequences of such 'food' upon our health, the picture offered is frankly worrisome, even sinister.

Thank goodness, here in Europe we have at least stricter regulations when it comes to everything pertaining to food! In the USA, though, the situation is far from being the case, and the impact upon people's health and even the economy is, well, quite catastrophic. Farmers cultivating potatoes are subjected to the dictate of powerful industrials; the beef meats which were once raised by cowboys in ranches is now a national identity on its way out; working conditions in slaughter houses are absolutely deplorable, with a foreign labour (at times illegal immigrants) being exploited mercilessly; the poultry industry is absolutely dreadful (a concerning fact considering that chicken remains the favourite meat sold to children -occasional cases of E-coli, sadly, are a telling issue...)... Scandals after scandals and at a time when fast food and their consequences (farming, meat industry, working practices...) are clearly negative, a question will face the reader over and over: are they sustainable, at least being the model they are now?

Personally, it's been more than a decade that I haven't set foot into a McDonald, and, as a vegetarian, I kind of knew most of the issues outlined in here. Nevertheless, even when you might think (as I kind of did) that you know it all, such read still manage to lift the veil upon even more shocking practices from a whole highly profitable industry; practices which are as dangerous as they are disgraceful. It's shocking, scandalous, and even gross at time for sure; yet it's also what we allowed to happen for junk to end up in our plates...

An eye-opener.