Rating: 
Summary: Changed the way I eat
Review: The book is incredibly well-researched and provides good insight into the origins of the fast-food industry and the resulting "fattening" of America. If this book is too much, I would recommed the movie "Super Size Me." After reading this book, I have not been able to bring myself to eat at the golden arches or Burger King.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Investigative Bestseller About the Industry
Review: When I bought this bestseller I thought it was mainly about McDonalds since it has a pictures of some McDonalds fries on the book cover, but this is not a book just about McDonald's per se, but about the industry as a whole including economics, food supplies, and the labor problems and working conditions at the restaurants and at the suppliers. The author Eric Schlosser is a journalist, an excellent writer, and does a good job at keeping our attention. Each chapter is entertaining, almost a page-turner, and he follows the 270 page main text with 100 pages of notes and comments.There are some things that are a bit unfair about the book. I think the author goes into many issues in great detail that are only marginally related to fast food. The author uses Colorado as a case study and for example the decline of small ranches in the western plains and the economics of beef producing is only marginally tied to fast food as is the issue of mad cow disease. Similarly the author takes us step by step through a cattle slaughter house and describes possible injuries to workers, and that has almost no relationship to fast food - in my opinion - but is a general problem of the meat industry. Having said that, what the author does with great clarity is to describe fast food operations and how the food is produced. He presents a brief history of the national chains, and discusses (not in this order) franchising, SBA financing, profit margins on things like French fries, the structure of the corporations, marketing to children, television adds aimed at children, market penetration in schools and sports, influencing - believe it or not - the textbooks in the classroom, salaries, teen workers, intentional employer induced employee turnover, migrant labor, bussing in of illegal aliens, ghettoes of illegal workers on the high plains, federal and state government financial subsidies of worker "training", crime and violence in the workplace, child labor, automation and training, standardization, economics of food production, animal wastes, political lobbying and donations to politicians, the minimum wage, and the production problems of potatoes, beef, and chicken. Of course he discusses calories and fat content. There are many interesting passages along with lots of facts and figures on the fast food business. It is all a very worthwhile read and an eye opener with some very dramatic parts. One of the things that sticks out for myself is the relationship between the franchiser and the franchisee. I had always been under the impression that there was a fair degree of security in the purchase of a national fast food franchise. But apparently, and according to the book, there is a high degree of financial risk involved, many hours of long hard work for the franchisee, and surprisingly a high percentage go bankrupt or lose their franchises. So if you are considering such an undertaking, do your research before entering a franchise contract even with a major national name brand, and do so with some caution. It is not so rosy and your fate is tied to the fate and often the whims of the franchiser. Also, some brand names cannot provide the owner with a living wage with single fast food outlet. Great book Jack in Toronto
Rating: 
Summary: Where do I begin.
Review: Well first of all, a while ago as a conscious decision to eat healthier, I cut down on my fast food consumption. When I do eat at a fast food place I opt for the healther items on the menu such as the Chicken McGrill (which McDonalds claims only has 4 grams of fat, but can I believe them anymore?). I read this book because I was very interested in the fact that our nation as a whole is obese. And I found it really amusing after the boys in New York I think it was, sued Mc Donalds because they ate it everyday and got fat. I do not agree with this because EVERYONE knows that eating McDonalds on a regular basis is bad for you, let alone eating it every day. But I didnt not know however how bad it really is and how dangerous it is. This book is a great book, it puts it all out there for the world to know. I think that this should be a manditory book to read in high school because it sure opened my eyes and made me think twice when I think about getting fast food. So maybe our kids will be making wiser choices if they knew the truth about what they were putting in their mounths. I also cannot believe the horrible meat that is being fed to our school children. I work for the local school district and I cannot believe the crap that they feed these kids, nothing healthing is being fed for lunch unless you think pizza and cheeseburgers are good almost every day. So please read this book and learn more about the horrible conditions these workers are put through and the disgusting things the meat we eat is going through before it gets to our plates. I garuntee you will be disgusted and shocked at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: They're not just big in Texas
Review: A friend recently suggested Eric Schlosser's outstanding expose "Fast Food Nation." I clawed through it, but had to pause here and then to gain traction against the decades of deceit, graft, and cronyism that defined the food industry's rise in worship of the almighty dollar. Don't misunderstand: I'm a capitalist, no doubt, but the practices described in this text stretch well beyond that reasonable to fuel a healthy free market. One might be skeptical of the muckraking that is so carefully detailed, but that's exactly the rub: the devil is in those details. Schlosser does such a meticulous job of substantiating every morsel of data (62 pages of footnotes) that he leaves you full with the knowledge of system derailed by its own appetite. We want bigger meals, bigger cars, and bigger houses to what end? We spend >$110 billion each year on fast food, and another $30 billion to try to lose the weight we so carelessly invited? A recent report by the Centers from Disease Control (CDC) pinpoints the next two years as the turning point when obesity will overtake smoking as the #1 preventable cause of death in this county. The price tag? About $440 million dollars in public health costs. It's not just you who is affected when you supersize yourself. In an era of skyrocketing health care premiums, you'll smother all of us. Some of the more intoxicating gems from Schlosser's book:
1) Americans spend more on fast food than new cars, and more than higher education and computers put together.
2) Fast food purchases outweigh book sales by about 4-fold.
3) Perhaps 2 cents out of every french fry purchase goes to the farmer who grew the potatoes.
4) The rate of obesity among American adults is twice as high now (>25%) as it was in the early 1960's.
5) The rate of obesity among American children is twice as high now as it was in the LATE 1970's.
6) In the UK, the number of fast food restaurants doubled between 1984 and 1993-- and so did the adult obesity rate.
7) A large Coke (32 oz) has 310 calories. A supersize order of fries has 29 g of fat and 610 calories. Note that 3600 calories is equivalent to one pound of fat.
8) A medium Coke at McDonald's in the 1950's (8 oz) was 33% smaller than a CHILD's Coke today (12 oz).
9) A medium Coke at McDonald's contains about 3.5 oz of Coke syrup, or about 10 cents worth. You pay about $1.29.
10) A 1996 USDA study revealed that 7.5% of all ground beef samples taken from processing plants were contaminated with Salmonella, 12% with Listeria monocytogenes, 30% with Staphylococcus aureus, and 53% with Cloistridium perfringens. All of these pathogens can make you ill; Listeria kills 20% of those it infects with food poisoning. You are what you eat: 79% of the contaminated beef contained microorganisms that spread primarily by fecal matter. You know what that means. I could go on, but that point sums it up nicely. Personally, I working on more responsible carnivore habits, as a stepping stone to my ineluctable conversion to vegetarianism. There's just too much wrong-- with how the cattle are treated, how the workers are treated, and how the consumers are slipped a sometimes repulsive, if not downright dangerous product-- to continue to blindly order an "All-American Meal".
Rating:
Summary: You don't have to become a vegetarian
Review: I'd like to recommend on Ruth Ozeki's "My Year of Meats" to whoever was stunned by this book like me. This is a serious issue, and might be a turning point to the worst or to the best. You can contribute the world by buying from family farmers instead of corporations. for more details: themeatrix.com
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Summary: Dirtaaaaaaay!
Review: After reading "Fast Food Nation", I admit, it's getting difficult to contemplate eating at anything with a clown taking my order. And I have found there are other options. We really don't have to feed our children the "food" from these places. This is an excellent piece of work, well researched and convincing in its presentation. Very liberal, but it's all good. Perhaps the most frightening image I have taken from this book is Walt Disney and Ray Kroc cooperating from beyond the grave. It's difficult to even watch the McDonald's commercials advertising Disney tie-ins now.
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Summary: Poor workers
Review: This book is awesome! This reveals all the secrets of fast food industries. If you really love fast food, you will be shocked so much when you realize what you were eating. Probably the major part of this book is about the food, but i am so interested in the workers at fast food restaurants. They are in dangers that we never imagine, and especially teens are the victims of the industries. It seems that what fast food restaurants cook is not only hambergers... but also dead bodies and criminals. He mentions about the hard working condition,so probably you would never wanna work there and feel so sorry for them. As i told, the food is major issue of the book and it made me so sick, but it is the truth. if you want the truth, you should definiteoly read this book.
Rating:
Summary: You want fries with that?
Review: Yeesh. Gross. Sick. Disgusting. I think you get the point. "Fast Food Nation" tells it like it is - and some of it is not very pleasant to the ear. I've come to think that reading this book is a "necessary evil" - you don't really want to read it, but you have to. The revelations Eric Schlosser provides are too important to ignore. It starts slowly with the dawn of the fast food era, but soon enough Schlosser is touching on many topics; globalization, the exploitation of fast food workers, how and why fast food companies focus their ad campaigns towards children, why the fast food companies don't like labor unions, and more. Then it really gets interesting when Schlosser begins to talk about the food itself. The chemicals used, the procedures of the meat-packing plants, pathogens, mad cow disease, E coli, salmonella...it's all here. It's not a pleasant story, but as mentioned, a story that needs to be told nonetheless. Powerful and disturbing stuff. Would have been five stars if not for the slow start.
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Summary: Read this book, and pass it on.
Review: With obesity rapidly becoming the number two cause of death in North America (cancer being number one), this book should be mandatory reading for all high school age kids; and I would strongly recommend Mr. Schlosser creates a version of this book for elementary school children. Personally I never was a big consumer of McDonald's or any fast food products for that matter, but like most parents I would take my children on occasion for a Happy Meal and get myself a Big Mac... until my very last experience with McDonald's food three years ago. Driving across New York State from Salem MA. to my home north of Toronto, I stopped at one of the many McDonald's restaurants along the highway and ordered a plain hamburger... no fries, no drink, just a hamburger. I was literally crumpling the wrapper and putting it back in the bag when it was as if someone flipped a switch and I instantly HAD TO FIND A WASHROOM. The remainder of my trip (about 6 hours to go from that point) was literally driving at high speed from rest stop to rest stop across New York State. I've never eaten at McDonald's since, have never taken my children there, and will never do either again under any circumstances. I came to this decision well before reading Mr. Schlosser's book, and like most kids, mine still ask to go but this book has given me the answers to the "why not?" question when I refuse. Mr. Schlosser goes off on a bit of a rant on the meat packing industry which is and always has been a brutal business, but some of the recalls of ground beef products in recent times are horrifying. Not only for the quantities recalled, but for the reasons these products were recalled. Ironically it is here that Mr. Schlosser compliments the McDonald's corporation and clearly illustrates just how powerful this organization is. When the FDA wanted stricter controls on salmonella counts in ground beef the meat packing firms said "impossible". When McDonald's requested that ground beef used in McDonald's hamburgers meet this new FDA standard, the meat packing firms said "no problem". So McDonald's actually do have the power to effect positive change in the meat packing industry, but will they use this power for positive or profit driven reasons? This is a terrific book and it points out very clearly the dangers of eating fast food which I genuinely believe cannot be consumed safely in any quantities. Recently my local school board took steps to ban "junk food" from school cafeterias, food which included meals supplied by McDonald's. The manager of our local McDonald's wrote a scathing criticism of not only this policy but of the use of the term "junk food" in reference to McDonald's meals. His major point was "since when has bread, meat and potatoes been considered junk food?". After reading Fast Food Nation I only wonder how is it possible to even consider a meal from McDonald's simply bread, meat and potatoes? Read this book you'll be glad you did and pass it on to people you care for, you may literally be saving their lives. If you are a parent, set an example of proper eating habits and be forthright with your children on the choices they make regarding the food they consume. If they are old enough let them read this book for themselves and draw their own conclusions. A lifetime of obesity related health problems, the working conditions in the restaurants, the inside of meat packing plants and the plethora of natural and artificial flavourings put into this food is generally NOT depicted in fast food ads... for good reason. Time has long passed when we could take for granted the safety of food served in these establishments.
Rating:
Summary: More than fast food
Review: For some reason I was expecting this book to be about fat Americans and why we eat so much fast food. (I guess that's what I get for not reading reviews, eh?) It is SO much more than that. It's about the beginnings of the industry, the struggles of fast food pioneers, what the industry has become, what's really in the food, the takeover of the food industry by big business, and where all of this leaves the unsuspecting consumer. I was unable to put this book down. I can't even explain how it made me feel - curious, angry, and even awe-struck. You never know what people are capable of until money is at stake. I would recommend this book to anyone. People who are interested in food, food service, business, farming, chemistry... it shows how one commodity - FOOD - is a part of so many different, larger entities.
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