At WHS, food culture is always a popular topic, especially when deciding where to eat. While big name chains like McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A dominate the conversation, their business model often involves negative side effects to our world, without many being aware of them. As fast food is defined by its low price, lower quality, and quick service, we believe it is a negative choice of nutrients when considering what is best for our community and the environment.
Popularity comes with a cost as when a food outlet has more affordable options, they need to produce and cater to over hundreds of people an hour.
“We serve more than 27 million customers every day, so we buy in bulk,” stated McDonalds.com.
If their method of obtaining food is through factories or bulk buying, the process can lead to an excess of greenhouse gases produced in our atmosphere. According to Bloomberg Green, the climate section of Bloomberg News, McDonald’s produces more carbon emissions than the country of Norway, which is more than 53 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
“And with that number still rising, climate advocates are calling for the mega-chain to reduce its footprint,” stated the Energy Mix website, a climate news organization.
The second significant factor in differentiating fast food from traditional restaurants is the quality of the food. As mentioned, many fast food chains purchase their ingredients cheaply and in bulk. However, finding such a large quantity of ingredients at prices that fit their business model leads us to believe that quality is not a high priority in fast food production.
A report by RBC Capital Markets, a global investment bank, found that McDonald’s was rated lowest in food quality among major fast food chains, placing 12th out of 12. And that poor quality comes with a very hefty price tag when it comes to consumers’ health.
“In the short term, fast food impacts blood sugar and blood pressure, increases inflammation, and may mean an individual does not eat enough necessary nutrients,” stated MedicalNewsToday.com, a medical newsletter. “In the long term, a diet rich in fast food could lead to issues with digestion, immunity, inflammation, heart health, obesity, and more.”
The third aspect of fast food restaurants that causes negative effects includes how fast the service is. This means drive-thrus, to-go orders, and food being ready in a couple minutes, allowing many to pick up food in the most efficient manner, saving time in comparison to a sit-down restaurant or café. While that may seem like a positive element of these outlets, it actually increases many people’s reliance on these unhealthy food options, driving them away from healthier options. Fast food companies capitalize on this reality through their advertising.
“These [fast] food companies often engage in ‘targeted marketing’ to reach children, teens and communities of color with marketing for their least healthy products,” stated the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. “Food marketing negatively affects children’s and teens’ diets and health. It increases calories consumed, preferences for unhealthy product categories, and perceptions of product healthfulness.”
All of these negative effects of fast food restaurants can be limited through solely choosing nutrition options that are clean and provided by companies who are conscientious about the environment. While Panera or Chipotle also have relatively quick service and some may classify them with traditional fast food, they don’t fully fit the category. While they do serve food quickly, the pricing and quality set them apart. These restaurants use fresher ingredients, offer more customization, and while they usually cost more than places like McDonald’s or Burger King, the ability to choose ingredients can make a big impact on how healthy their food is.
“Meals from Chipotle can be healthy by being incredibly nutrient-rich and balanced,” stated Health.com, a digital publisher that covers health and wellness topics. “The key to a healthy Chipotle meal is to customize your order based on the restaurant’s most optimal ingredients and your personal nutrition goals.”
Despite Chipotle’s better quality, their audience is still limited, as most consumers would rather spend less money without much awareness of the ingredients being put into their bodies.
“Price is pretty important when it comes to how popular fast food places are, such as how McDonald’s is so popular because of how cheap it is,” said junior Tao Zhuang.
In the end, fast food restaurants’ methods of obtaining food, lack of quality, and harmful marketing all point to the fact that individuals should limit their time and money spent on fast food. To start, for the globe to acknowledge the actions they need to take to be healthier, we can begin in our smaller community, teaching students at WHS how, if they purchase from the fast food industry, it will cause an excess of greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately leading to climate changes.
As students consider where to eat, we hope that understanding what truly defines fast food – low cost, quick service, and lower quality, along with a huge impact on the health of the environment and those who eat fast food – will help our peers to make better choices.
