Book Review of “Fast Food Nation”

1) Main theme(s)/premise

"Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser is an investigative book, a journey into the food chain and trade on which the world of fast food. The purpose of Fast Food Nation is to capture the concerns of author by the impact of this industry on the children of the nation U.S. The book consists of an introduction of one author, ten chapters divided into two parts: the American way (The American way), meat and potatoes (meat and potatoes) and an epilogue. In the first part, Eric Schlosser traces the growth of fast food chains after the Second World War and condemns the industry lead to cultural ills as obesity, classism, imperialism of U.S. global North America and environmental devastation. In part two he talks about the development of flavor industry describing how food is developed in laboratories and therefore nothing is “natural” in them.

In addition to describing in detail the conditions of work of slaughter cattle, the lack of security and the lack of laws to protect these workers, who are mostly illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala that live in fear of deportation to their countries. Two important points stand out in the book: the concern the author by what we eat, how it affects the health of the con- consumers and how the meat industry creates lower wages and unfavorable conditions for workers in slaughterhouses livestock. Subtly but firmly shown the harsh reality of illegal workers. 

Schlosser starts comparing in detail how the creators Disney (Walt Disney) and McDonald's (Ray Kroc) developed their empires similarly, changing the values ??of the American society, speaking to the same consumer, children. Chapter two shows how large companies (e.g. McDonalds, Coca Cola) are advertised in public schools in some states. He reveals how, under the guise of donating school supplies, appeal to a captive market (children) and how they develop brand loyalty from small. Chapter three presents' the federal subsidies they receive these fast food chains each worker employed for only 400 hours of work and subsidy can be obtained as quickly this worker and comes another. The remaining chapters on developing said artificial flavors French fries, hamburgers, in strawberry shakes and chicken; carry diseases of the causing meat slaughterhouses thousand poisoning children and adults in the United States, and economic power has the meat industry regulation prevents it.

2) Points of agreement and critique from personal perspective

Fast Food Nation is not only the story of a way of life and food, fast food is the appearance of apparent phenomena is much more complex. On some pages, Schlosser's essay shows a reality close to collapse: schools financed by fast food chains, textbooks sponsored by Exxon or by Procter & Gamble, used children from the early elementary grades loyalty to a brand or type food: "The children of eight years are considered to be ideal: they have about 65 years of buying ahead of them." This attention to childhood is his teacher in Walt Disney, who back in the thirties signed licensing agreements ...