Fast Food Social Class

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants” (Pollan, M). Historically, our ancestors lived off the fruits and vegetables they grew themselves, hunted for game and traded for things they needed. They consumed natural, unprocessed and organic foods. People ate food native to their environment and also which were in season. The availability and abundance of food and eating behaviours were totally dependent on an individual’s ability to grow the foods he or she needed. Fast forward to the twenty first century’s modern society, with the invention of chemical preservatives, animal breeding, the development of agriculture, the influence of the media and social constraints placed on individuals, our entire style of eating has changed. Where food solely

With the fast pace of modern society, people have busy lives and must balance responsibilities and different activities. In addition, many people are limited by income which severely impacts their food choices. Society has an abundance of stratification and inequalities among its classes. Mishel, Bernstein, and Shierholz (2009) comment on this phenomenon saying, “it is astonishing that the inequality continues to expand in a nation that is to be so advanced…”. The differences in social class affect individuals in various ways and can be observes through the differences in their eating habits. The underlying factors which influence these habits whether directly or indirectly are often social class, time, financial stability and media

Companies that produce unhealthy food profit from this advertising and have the money to pay for it. Furthermore, the worst endorsement violations are aimed at the most susceptible, children, who become confused about what is healthy and what is unhealthy as advertisements blur the lines with empty claims of being good for you (Simon 2006). Belton and Belton (2003) state that, “fatty foods and sugary foods should only be seven percent of our diet yet they make up seventy percent of all television ads during children’s peak viewing times”. This only encourages children to ask for these products. But children are not immune to the effects of unhealthy foods. According to Simon (2006), health problems such as Type 2 diabetes and early signs of heart disease which were usually only associated with adults are increasingly being seen in children. When children don’t eat healthy it is reflected in their overall health. The health claims of some companies are usually deceptive, like Kraft which out of fifty-six Lunchables produced, only six are healthy (Simon 2006). This leads people to purchase food which they think is healthy for them and ignore the fine print which consequently results in a big difference in the quality of a diet a person