Almost every angle of the food industry can be considered dangerous. It is dangerous to make the food, as a meatpacking job is one that is viewed as having abnormally high risks; however when the food is handed over a counter on a tray or prepared in a family of four’s kitchen, it poses a huge risk to humankind. Foodborne illnesses are all too common and almost everybody has the possiblity of contracting a foodborne illness. These are life threatening diseases that need to be monitored and regulated; therefore the enforcement of government regulations in the fast food industry could potentially save many lives that are lost annually due to the numerous factors that need regulation.
Unless a person were to swear off the consumption of all animal products entirely, the likelihood of contracting a foodborne
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illness is astoundingly high. In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 novel, Fast Food Nation, he states “Everyday in the United States roughly 200,000 people are sickened by a foodborne illness, 900 are hospitalized and fourteen die.” (p195) According to Schlosser about a quarter of the American population will suffer from a foodborne illness each year. It is frightening to think that this is something that would not only that could not only affect the strong, (teenagers and adults) but the weaker population as well (elderly and children). What is the reason for us putting our families in danger? The stigma under the disease E. Coli is a very negative, nasty one. A person cannot help but think of the dirtiest parts of the meat industry; blood guts, and thousands of animals raging in their own bodily waste. One of the first reported cases of E. Coli according to Schlosser was the Hudson Beef plant, a supplier for Burger King. When briefly glanced at, the factory looked impeccably clean and healthy. After a thorough evaluation the factory was not as clean as the image that meets the eye. Had there been stricter government regulations on the factory, the nearly 25 million pounds of ground beef may not have been consumed, saving lives in the process. Why is it so difficult to regulate the meat before it leaves the processing facility? Is it completely impossible to enforce stricter regulations to keep the human population healthy? I think not; but then why since the Hudson beef outbreak nearly nineteen years ago, have there been countless other outbreaks of a similar nature? The most that these facilities receive is a slap on the wrist for endangering lives. Stricter regulations haven’t been enforced since these outbreaks started occurring. According to Schlosser in and interview on Frontline, science has developed and come a remarkably long way since the first E. Coli outbreak. The government should be using the advancing science efficiently and effectively to stop these outbreaks- or even better, prevent them before they happen. Meat from fast food restaurants has actually proven to be some of the healthiest.
cleanest meat that has been on the market, because the owners of the chains do not want their loyal customer to become sick, therefore soiling their nice reputation, such as what happened with Chipotle in the past year. The government follows less strict standards than many restaurants as the government stands on the side of the meat-packing industry, which is one of the biggest industries in the world. Their relationship is one of symbiosis: a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.
People may argue that meatpacking is an important industry for its efficiency and low cost. These naysayers are correct in saying this is an important industry. One way to mke it a much healthier industry, however, is to cut the efficiency of it. If there are not thousands of cattle in a pin, the risk of the cattle contracting a deadly virus such as E. Coli is proven to come down tenfold.
E. Coli and other foodborne illnesses are something that should be of major concern to everybody, becasue nobody is safe from it. It is not something that can be prevented or
protected against, and there are typically no warning signs. Something needs to be done, in order to reduce the risk of ending up in the hospital from preparing a cheeseburger.
Salmonella is one danger that has caused many effects to consumers. Walsh writes about one incident when an outbreak “from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600,” (Walsh 167). This incident left many people asking the same question, how can we trust the food that we put into our bodies? Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ...
Slaughterhouse workers constantly face the risk of serious injury or even death. Many have dealt with blood, animals, and sharp knives. Along with these conditions, the absurd speed of work further increases the chances for injury. While corporations were regulated in the early twentieth century, lax of control in previous years has caused them to return to dangerous methods of production for efficiency. Animals are in a far greater amount of pain than workers since corporations have bred them for the main purpose of fast food. The inhumane treatment of animals, such as one worker’s method of stomping on live chickens, has caused some to argue for better treatment. However, corporations have fought hard to keep policies the same, and as result, their opponents’ demands are almost never met. These issues are evidence that fast food corporations have grown too powerful and must be regulated.
In the early twentieth century, at the height of the progressive movement, “Muckrakers” had uncovered many scandals and wrong doings in America, but none as big the scandals of Americas meatpacking industry. Rights and responsibilities were blatantly ignored by the industry in an attempt to turn out as much profit as possible. The meat packers did not care if poor working conditions led to sickness and death. They also did not care if the spoiled meat they sold was killing people. The following paper will discuss the many ways that rights and responsibilities were not being fulfilled by the meat packing industry.
Most of us do not think twice about the foods we pick up from the supermarket. Many Americans have a preconceived belief that the food being sold to us is safe, and withholds the highest standard of quality. Certainly, compared to many places in the world, this is true. But is the United States sincerely trying to carry out these standards, or have we begun to see a reverse in the health and safety of our food- and more explicitly in our meat? Jonathan Foer, author of “Eating Animals” argues for reform within the food industry- not only for the humane treatment of animals but moreover for our own health. Although Foer exposes the ills within the food industries in order to persuade readers to change their diets for the better, his “vegetarianism or die” assessment may be too extreme for most Americans. The true ills do not start with the meat, but with industrialized production of it through methods practiced by factory farming.
One out of every three Americans is obese and the majority of these obese people in the United States have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food became a big necessity. However, when creating fast food restaurants, the industries were not thinking about the negative effects such as obesity. Other than obesity, other harmful effects exist as well. Fast food restaurants serve unhealthy products such as greasy foods and artificial meat that lead to dietary health issues in many adults and children. A recent study showed that “Young children who are fed processed, nutrient-poor foods are likely to become unhealthy teenagers, and eventually unhealthy adults. Now twenty-three percent of teens in the U.S. are pre-diabetic or diabetic, 22% have high or borderline high LDL cholesterol levels, and 14% have hypertension or prehypertension” (May, Kuklina, Yoon). The food that they provide is made to be eaten quickly, causing problems for the digestive system. Also, the health problems lead to the use for health insurance, which adds to the costs of Medicare. Health care costs will only worsen an already failing economy. Therefore, the government should regulate fast food restaurants in the United States in order to repair the deteriorating health and economy in America.
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, is a stark and unrelenting look into the fast food industry that has ingrained itself in not only American culture, but in many cultures around the world. There is almost no place on earth that the golden arches has not entered. Aside from Antarctica, there is a McDonalds on every continent, and the number of countries that have fast food restaurants is growing on a daily basis. Schlosser describes in detail what happens behind the scenes, before the hamburger and fries come wrapped in environmentally safe paper and are consumed by millions of people daily.
Many people do not realize that the jobs in the fast food industry are very dangerous. These are the jobs that no one realizes what it’s like behind the scenes. The workers face high rates of injury in the factories and in fast food restaurants, so we feel like we shouldn’t support the fast food industries. In chapters three and eight of “Fast Food Nation,” Eric Schlosser uses pathos to highlight the fact that fast food jobs are difficult as well as dangerous. The jobs involved with fast food are so dangerous that more regulations should be reinforced more firmly, as well as more laws should be put into place.
Foodborne diseases are among the most widespread public health problems. Yet only a small proportion of these illnesses come to the notice of health services, and even fewer are investigated. In developing countries even fewer cases are counted, primarily because of poverty and lack of resources for food safety management and food control services. In spite of underreporting, increases in foodborne diseases in many parts of the world and the emergence of new or newly recognized foodborne problems have been identified (Tauxe, 2002).
Every year, humans kill over 56 billion farm animals, with 3,000 animals dying every second in the slaughterhouse around the world. In the United States, there are about 12.7 million people being diagnosed with cancer; eating red meats might be linked. Not only is the growth of the meat industry hurting the health of Americans, but also negatively affects the climate. As a society, we should be more educated about the food we eat and how it affects our bodies.
In America, there are many people who never think twice to question what they are eating. Most American’s simply assume, if it tastes good it must be good. This is unfortunately not the truth. In 2001, a young boy tragically passed away after ingesting meat that was contaminated with the Escherichia Coli bacteria (Metzger). Escherichia Coli is a bacterium that is normal inside of the intestines of most animals including humans, but when it is presented outside of the intestinal tract it can be fatal. E. Coli is spread when cattle are slaughtered and the E. Coli from the hides of the animals is getting transferred into the meat (Daluiso). This bacteria is clearly very harmful to the human body. After the death of this child, his grandma and mother tried very hard to get a law passed that would better regulate the production of food and decrease contamination (Metzger). Kevin’s law is:
In many ways, McDonald’s is the model business empire. All-American food, speedy service and a perceived value for money all go some way to explaining why the giant corporation continues to pack in diners to its restaurants every day. Nothing seems to dent the popularity of the mighty Big Mac, even under the pressure of harsh criticism that golden arch still stands tall. Somethings however you just can 't ignore on many different accounts very disgusting things have been found inside of different items on the menu. “Katherine Ortega bought a large order of nuggets from a Newport News McDonald’s and took them home to feed her kids, only to shake a deep-fried chicken head out of the box and onto the plate. That’s not white meat, obviously.”(K
Factory farms produce the meat that most people in densely populated areas consume each day. The conditions in these farms aren't ideal. There isn't much room in thes...
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)
The third weakness is the fact that food tests, inspections, and the detection of contaminants are taken seriously only after an outbreak of some food-borne diseases, food poisoning, or deaths. The increase in the number of food establishments or outlets such as cold stores, hypermarkets, and supermarkets reported by the Public Health Director has also made inspection and control mo...
Food matters. Nevertheless, food safety in China is worse than what you thought; you can never imagine how toxic it is. Although there are variety choices of restaurant for us to eat nowadays, many people still choose to eat at home. Not only to save money, but also be sensible for their own health. Think about our situation now, we can constantly buy meats that we think is fresh and yummy, but who knows if it’s healthy and safe? Is it truly what you want? What materials will the restaurant serves you? Food safety affects people a lot. Nowadays, especially in China, many citizens are already despair in this affair. Food safety is one of the most principal issues to the entire world; as one of the most important feature in everybody’s life,