The Word on McDonalds

Nutritional facts on fast food

What you don't want to know

When was the last time you ate fast food? Considering that in this country, about a quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant on any given day and that more than 90% of children eat at McDonald's every month, it probably wasn't so long ago that you chomped down on a Big Mac or ate some finger-lickin' KFC.

In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food. By the year 2000, this number had jumped to more than $110 billion. As a nation, we spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software or new cars; more than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music combined.

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser writes about the "dark side of the All-American meal" showing how fast food has infiltrated into our lives, transforming, "not only the American diet, but also our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture."

Cliff Dwellings and Frosted Shredded Wheat

Driving around on the trek has provided an amazing opportunity to see the country. But it has also been quite frustrating at times. Pulling in to a new city, I often wonder, "Hmm, what does Montgomery, Alabama look like? What's Billings, Montana going to have in store for us?" Sadly, the answer is often the same thing. Pockets of diversity and character are hard to come by when the Golden Arches seem to dominate the landscape. Fast food is such an ever-present part of our culture that we probably don't even notice that it's there and rarely stop to think, "Hey, what it's all about?" So let's take a moment to go through a typical fast food experience and focus on what goes on behind-the-scenes.

First, you walk up to the counter to place your order. Who is serving you? Many of you may have in fact been on both sides of the counter. It is estimated that one out of every 8 American workers has been employed by McDonald's at some point. And the industry thrives on the teenage workforce. Teenagers are often willing to work for low wages in unsteady jobs, a fact fast food restaurants tend to take advantage of. About 90 percent of fast food workers in the U.S. are paid an hourly wage, provided no benefits and scheduled to work only as needed. Turnover rates are extremely high and companies such as McDonald's have become known for the way they squash any attempts at unionizing.

So you get that flame-broiled burger and order of fries. Do you ever think about where the food is coming from? Most of us probably don't. Perhaps it is something that you would rather not know--but I'm going to tell you anyways because that's my job.
First, the hamburgers. McDonald's is the biggest purchaser of beef in the United States. The growth of fast food has encouraged consolidation of the meatpacking industry, meaning that major corporations such as ConAgra and IBP have taken over while independent ranchers face incredible hardships and are frequently driven out of business. Four firms now control 82 percent of beef packing in this country, stressing efficiency and speed often at the cost of safety and decency.

Beef industry workers are among the most exploited and inhumanely treated workers in the United States. Often attracting migrant workers, slaughterhouse jobs have some of the highest rates of injuries of any occupation, ranging from torn muscles and slipped discs to missing fingers and amputated limbs.

As for the cattle, they spend the majority of their unnatural, painful and short lives packed into feedlots at factory farms. The National Academy of Sciences has found that beef contains the highest concentration of herbicides of any food sold in America due to the chemicals sprayed on grains fed to cattle. To speed up the birth-to-slaughter cycle and to protect against disease in the crowded and unsanitary living conditions, cows are often given antibiotics and growth-accelerating hormones. All the health effects of such practices are still unknown, but it sure doesn't sound too appetizing to me.
Each hamburger contains parts of dozens or even hundreds of cows, increasing the likelihood that a sick one will spread its disease widely. The way that our food is produced has contributed to the rise of many food borne illnesses such as salmonella poisoning and E. coli 0157:H7. Every day, food borne diseases in the United States causes 200,000 sicknesses, 900 hospitalizations and 14 deaths. Far more Americans are killed every year by food poisoning than by illegal drug use.

Goodness, well at least the fries are animal-free. Ha! Guess again! Why do McDonald's fries taste so gosh darn good? For a long time, the fries used to be cooked in beef tallow, giving them more saturated fat per ounce than the burgers. Although they are now cooked in vegetable oil, McDonald's acknowledges that some of the flavor does still come from "animal products." The fries also get their taste from "natural flavors." Have you ever wondered where natural and artificial flavors that you find in ingredient lists actually come from? From flavor factories of course! The fast food industry relies heavily on complex chemicals manufactured at these plants to give distinct flavors to processed foods. So the "strawberry" in your strawberry shake, the "smokey" flavor of your chicken sandwich and even the "flame-broiled" taste of your burger are all chemically produced. Yummy!

To top it all off, fast foods are high in calories, cholesterol and saturated fat. American children now get about one-quarter of their total vegetable servings in the form of potato chips or french fries. U.S. Trekkers get a quarter of their nutritional intake from Krispy Kreme donuts. (Okay, just joking there, but we Trekkers sure can put away a good donut or two).

Plus there's the idea that bigger is better. Super size it! Get the triple-decker burger and Biggie Fries. Drink that monster 64 ounce Coke because it's the best deal. But all this comes at a cost. More than half of the adults and nearly one-quarter of the kids in this country are now overweight or obese. This has long-lasting consequences, besides those associated with self-esteem. Obesity, which has been linked to heart disease, colon caner, stomach cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, infertility and strokes, is now second only to smoking as a cause of mortality. It's not just what we eat, but also how we live that has led to such increased levels of obesity. Think about it. How often do we watch television, play video games or use a computer instead of getting outside and exercising? How many of us drive to work or school instead of walking or riding a bike? Fast food is only part of the problem.

Yet, greatly reducing the fat content of Happy Meals could immediately affect the diet of American children. Kids go crazy over Happy Meals after all. Maybe you too have been drawn in by the latest toy crazes, like Beanie Babies or Pokemon, that are included with your meal. It's just one of the ways that the fast food industry is known to target children through its marketing. McDonald's and Burger King have playgrounds to attract the little ones. Ronald McDonald can be identified by ninety-six percent of American children! Fast food has even started advertising in schools. In 1993, Colorado Springs started a nationwide trend when one of its public school districts became the first to place ads for Burger King in hallways and on the sides of school buses.

When I was a kid, I used to love Burger King. This was before the days of school ads or the BK Kids Club. But fast food had other attractions. My parents both worked while I was growing up and we didn't always have the time for home-cooked meals. Fast food, as its name implies, is fast. And it's cheap. And I thought it tasted good. Now, to be honest, the idea of eating a hamburger at Burger King grosses me out. I bet, however, that a lot of you really enjoy eating fast food. And although I generally shun it, I will admit that I still have my weaknesses (namely Frosties at Wendy's and McFlurries at McDonald's…hmm, do you think I like ice cream perhaps?)

I'm just here to tell you that there are alternatives. First of all, there's always vegetarianism. You should check out Stephen's article to find out more about the reasons to become a vegetarian. Yet even among fast food, there are choices. In N Out, for instance, is a burger place in my home state of California that is family-owned and refuses to franchise. They pay the highest wages in the industry and give their full-time workers a comprehensive benefits package. They peel their own potatoes and use fresh beef, all without the heat lamps, microwaves and freezers that dominate most fast food kitchens. And it is still cheap and convenient.

There are also options in the beef industry. We can pressure the fast food business to move towards free-range, grass-fed cattle raised organically without the use of hormones, antibiotics or herbicides. The industry will listen, if not to your words, then to your actions. As Schlosser explains, "The heads of Burger King, KFC, and McDonald's should feel daunted; they're outnumbered. There are three of them and almost three hundred million of you. A good boycott, a refusal to buy, can speak much louder than words."

So the next time you find yourself at a fast food place, take some time to really think about what you are putting into your body. Think about the health and labor practices you are supporting by eating there. I challenge you: Instead of going to the drive-thru, go ride your bike. Instead of eating that burger, go to the kitchen and make yourself a nutritious meal. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but challenges aren't supposed to be easy. I do hope however, that this is one challenge you decide to take.

Neda