About Fast Food Essay

Fast food is defined as food that is mass-produced and intended to be served quickly. It is said that the meal is nutritionally deficient when compared to dishes prepared in small batches. It is typically a prepared or precooked dish provided as a takeout or packed in restaurants. Fast food establishments may be kiosks or other roadside shelters that do not provide seating for consumers. Fasting has been identified as a key cause of obesity and other related illnesses (Janssen, Meike, and Ulrich 12). In the United States, for example, the children are said to be overweight and thus making them vulnerable to heart disease. The public health policy has been keen on the matter and came up with ways of controlling fast food especially near learning institutions. There has also been a campaign on healthy eating that is promoted by the public health policies.

Also, the globalization has cheap homogeneous food has affected organic farming so much. The high demand for fast food has led to the rise biotechnology production. Organic farming that is considered healthy has been adversely affected as they are not finding a space in the market due to competition(Lang, Tim, and Heasman 33). Public health and regulations that have been put in place to protect plant, animals and human health have been said to be weak and not serving its purpose. Public agencies are required to lead the war in protecting the health of both plants and animals. Fast food and globalization have reduced the quality of food production. It has been turned into a dangerous business where what matters only is money and not human health. This is because of the demand for fast food worldwide and the ease of doing business in the era internet and globalization(Nestle 9). The food industry is, therefore, becoming less involved in the management of the policies that would protect agricultural produce from the farmers and the health of consumers. Artisanal food has also been put out of the market as the fast food production taking over a large share of consumers. This artisanal food was known to promote taste as they were made in traditional ways with skilled laborers. The food industry has weakened the ties with the farming sector. Production has gone high tech and the process also. Fast food has become cheap as compared to the other produced from the organic farming. This is due to the processes involved and the inputs in organic farming. Biotechnologically produced food is cheaper as compared to artisanal and organic food(Myles 61). To save farmers and the public from market and health hazards, there should be a strong policy regulating the food industry. These can be formed through public health departments and policies. Quality of the produce of the fast food has gone down in the recent years as demand increases due to the globalization of the world economy where one can sell beyond their borders.

The only way to change the consumer food preferences is through regulating the food market, and this can be effectively done by a proper public health and policies. The corruption and the politics in the food industry are what have made this difficult to achieve(Schrempf 300). However, it is the consumer who is also the voter that is more affected by the poor health policies of food production and consumption.

Work Cited

Janssen, Meike, and Ulrich Hamm. “Product labelling in the market for organic food: Consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for different organic certification logos.” Food quality and preference 25.1 (2012): 9-22.

Lang, Tim, and Michael Heasman. Food wars: The global battle for mouths, minds and markets. Routledge, 2015.

Nestle, Marion. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013.

Myles, Ian A. “Fast food fever: reviewing the impacts of the Western diet on immunity.” Nutrition journal 13.1 (2014): 61.

Schrempf, Judith. “A social connection approach to corporate responsibility: The case of the fast-food industry and obesity.” Business & Society 53.2 (2014): 300-332.