1) What are some of the problems facing cattle ranchers? Cattle ranchers these days face an enormous amount of problems. Most of them become bankrupt because they don't make money off of selling their cattle, or they might even lose money. The rising land prices, and the roller-coaster beef prices also contributes. Because of the fast food industry and the use of the meat packing industry, ranchers are constantly pressured into selling their land.
2) What impact has the consolidation of the meat packing industry had on cattle ranchers? Big fast food industries are seeking uniformity, unlike how they used to operate they no longer buy meat from local farmers. They now buy from a select 5 or 6 meat packing industries, so their food tastes identical. This is giving the cattle ranchers very little income. The meat packing industry sets the price for cattle, while making sure the ranchers get the lowest price. This leaves many of the ranchers selling their land to the big industries. "The top 4 meat packing industries slaughter 84% of the nations' cattle."
4) What was the impact of the Chicken McNugget on the poultry industry? The Chicken McNugget turned chicken into something easily eaten in the car. "It turned chicken farmers into little more than surfs." More and more poultry was being consumed, and not in the whole form (as was the usual before the McNugget) but as strips and nuggets. Many fast food restaurants now offered chicken at their restaurant, which many thought was healthier than the hamburgers... (WRONG!)
This chapter went into detail on how horrible our once beloved farmers are treated. Their prices for their cattle are determined by the big-shot industries, which are not very high. The farmer is becoming an extinct species.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Chapter 5, "Why the Fries Taste Good"
Because my teacher subscribed our chapters to be read out of order, chapter 5 is next.
1) Who is J.R. Simplot? What connection does J. R. Simplot have to the fast food industry?
J.R. Simplot is the owner of a very large french fry factory and many other factories (onions...) Simplot was a farmer who dropped out of school at the age of 15. He worked at a potato workhouse until he was 16. He became a potato farmer until he sold his farm land and started a potato factory of his own. Simplot became the largest shipper of potatoes in the United States. In 1953, he started selling frozen french fries to fast food industries (mainly McDonald's.)
Simplot became the leading seller of frozen fries to fast food industries. He started what is now very common, reheating frozen fries and serving them to the customers. Fast food restaurants made a lot more profit out of these frozen fries.
5) What makes McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants? The way McDonald's gets their fries to taste different is cooking oil. McDonald's cooked their fries in a oil of 93% animal meat. This gave their fries all of the flavor. Later, they switched to vegetable oil and "natural flavors."
6) What are some of the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors?" Where is the “flavor industry” located? There are more similarities than differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors." Artificial flavoring is simply "man-made additives that give processed food, taste." Artificial flavors are made mostly of chemicals, however they are usually the same chemicals found in the natural flavor. Natural flavors come directly from nature. The key point in artificial flavoring is the smell, because humans gain most of their taste via smell (nose.) So artificial flavoring and natural flavoring smell and taste very similar if not the same.
The flavor industry is located in New Jersey, where there are many factories that remain in secrecy to keep their recipes secret. Today, most items we find say "natural flavors" because of the common belief that natural flavoring is healthier than artificial, not exactly the case.
Okay so this wasn't all about how nasty fast food is. It was more about the exact facts on the outline most of us already know. We know that fast food industries use frozen fries. Some of this stuff was very interesting, however.
1) Who is J.R. Simplot? What connection does J. R. Simplot have to the fast food industry?
J.R. Simplot is the owner of a very large french fry factory and many other factories (onions...) Simplot was a farmer who dropped out of school at the age of 15. He worked at a potato workhouse until he was 16. He became a potato farmer until he sold his farm land and started a potato factory of his own. Simplot became the largest shipper of potatoes in the United States. In 1953, he started selling frozen french fries to fast food industries (mainly McDonald's.)
Simplot became the leading seller of frozen fries to fast food industries. He started what is now very common, reheating frozen fries and serving them to the customers. Fast food restaurants made a lot more profit out of these frozen fries.
5) What makes McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants? The way McDonald's gets their fries to taste different is cooking oil. McDonald's cooked their fries in a oil of 93% animal meat. This gave their fries all of the flavor. Later, they switched to vegetable oil and "natural flavors."
6) What are some of the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors?" Where is the “flavor industry” located? There are more similarities than differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors." Artificial flavoring is simply "man-made additives that give processed food, taste." Artificial flavors are made mostly of chemicals, however they are usually the same chemicals found in the natural flavor. Natural flavors come directly from nature. The key point in artificial flavoring is the smell, because humans gain most of their taste via smell (nose.) So artificial flavoring and natural flavoring smell and taste very similar if not the same.
The flavor industry is located in New Jersey, where there are many factories that remain in secrecy to keep their recipes secret. Today, most items we find say "natural flavors" because of the common belief that natural flavoring is healthier than artificial, not exactly the case.
Okay so this wasn't all about how nasty fast food is. It was more about the exact facts on the outline most of us already know. We know that fast food industries use frozen fries. Some of this stuff was very interesting, however.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Introduction
Finally I have finished the introduction. So far so good. I will hopefully summarize the chapter by answering a few questions posted by my teacher.
1) How does the amount spent on fast food compare with the amount spent on other things in our society? As Americans, we are spending more money on fast food than higher education, personal computers and computer software. (That's a jaw-dropper!) We are spending more money on fast food than movies, books, magazines, news papers, videos and recorded music COMBINED! (Oh My Gosh!)
2) What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author? Some observations include: McDonald's is a powerful symbol of America's service economy. McDonald's accounts for over 90% of the Country's new jobs. In 1968, there were over 1000 restaurants, but in 2006, there are over 28,000 worldwide. McDonald's adds (on average) 2000 restaurants a year. One eighth of all workers in the United States were employed by McDonald's at one point in their life. McDonald's is the largest purchaser of beef, pork and potatoes. It is the largest owner of retail property in the whole world. (Here's the real shocker) Over 96% of the children in the United States could identify Ronald McDonald, he is only second to Santa Clause.
3) What does the author say about independent farmers? The author states that farmers and cattle ranchers are losing their independence and becoming "hired hands" for the big-shot industry. Family farms are being replaced by giant corporate farms. Rural communities are losing their middle class. In fact, there are more prison inmates than full-time farmers these days.
4) According to the author, why did he write this book? The author wrote this book because he believes that Americans should know more about fast food. We should know about what is in the food and how healthy it is for us (which it is not!). He is concerned about the impact that fast food has on our nation's children. After all, the fast food industry is going after our children more than us. If they catch the children's attention and they say "Mommy, I want a happy meal!" guess what happens... five bucks later the restaurant makes more money and the child starts walking down the road every American faces, the road to obesity and unhealthy eating. The author closes the introduction with the old line "You are what you eat."
1) How does the amount spent on fast food compare with the amount spent on other things in our society? As Americans, we are spending more money on fast food than higher education, personal computers and computer software. (That's a jaw-dropper!) We are spending more money on fast food than movies, books, magazines, news papers, videos and recorded music COMBINED! (Oh My Gosh!)
2) What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author? Some observations include: McDonald's is a powerful symbol of America's service economy. McDonald's accounts for over 90% of the Country's new jobs. In 1968, there were over 1000 restaurants, but in 2006, there are over 28,000 worldwide. McDonald's adds (on average) 2000 restaurants a year. One eighth of all workers in the United States were employed by McDonald's at one point in their life. McDonald's is the largest purchaser of beef, pork and potatoes. It is the largest owner of retail property in the whole world. (Here's the real shocker) Over 96% of the children in the United States could identify Ronald McDonald, he is only second to Santa Clause.
3) What does the author say about independent farmers? The author states that farmers and cattle ranchers are losing their independence and becoming "hired hands" for the big-shot industry. Family farms are being replaced by giant corporate farms. Rural communities are losing their middle class. In fact, there are more prison inmates than full-time farmers these days.
4) According to the author, why did he write this book? The author wrote this book because he believes that Americans should know more about fast food. We should know about what is in the food and how healthy it is for us (which it is not!). He is concerned about the impact that fast food has on our nation's children. After all, the fast food industry is going after our children more than us. If they catch the children's attention and they say "Mommy, I want a happy meal!" guess what happens... five bucks later the restaurant makes more money and the child starts walking down the road every American faces, the road to obesity and unhealthy eating. The author closes the introduction with the old line "You are what you eat."
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