Fast Food

                                      “Chew On This”

The book Chew On This by Eric Schlosser has changed my view about fast food companies.  I am going to stop eating fast food because of the unhealthy, unsanitary conditions and the abuse of factory workers, and animals.

       I knew eating too much junk food could cause you harm, likewise your weight, but it never concerned me.  I knew that it was so unhealthy -with all the chemicals, et cetera…- but after I read Chew On This my opinion changed direction. The book states that almost two thirds of adults, and one sixth of kids in the U.S.A are obese, or overweight. This is due to people eating more and not exercising/moving around. Fast food is very unhealthy because the fat that accumulates on your body can cause other problems such as, diabetes, asthma, heart problems, high blood pressure, and many more diseases. I realized I didn’t want my body to suffer through any of these medical conditions, so I decided to discontinue fast food from my life.

       The slaughterhouse is not as clean as one might expect, not that anyone will expect high standards. According to Chew On This and its resources, in the 1990’s workers were not allowed any breaks at all, so they had to pee/poo in their pants while they worked, which allowed more possibility of contamination of the meat. It is very unsanitary where cows are raised. Cows produce tons of manure in which, a lot of manure has to be removed that cows are raised in their own pile of poop. Also, a cow can get sick/poisoned because of its manure, and still become manufactured. Um… Eww!!! I know I do not want to eat my hamburger knowing that my meat has been in an unsanitary location! Yet, another reason I am trying to avoid fast food.

       People who work for fast food companies are mistreated. These people are paid the minimum wage, and work long hours. Farmers are now owned by huge corporations, in which they only get paid for the amount of livestock they produce (not including the ones that die because of the hormones they are fed).  It is unbelievable to see that factory workers have to confront many dangers while they are slaughtering animals for large periods of times. Workers can be at risk of being cut or chopped up, or even burned by the machines, and they don’t even get insurance for their injuries. That’s totally unfair, they are workers and should be respected! Injustice does not qualify in my vocabulary, so from now on NO MORE fast food for me!

       Huge corporations mistreat animals, but the chickens suffer the most. They suffer during their stay at a farm and can suffer a huge amount of pain in the slaughterhouse. Chickens are clustered on the farms, in which they can barely move, and live clustered for 6 weeks. During their time at the slaughterhouse chickens are knocked unconscious at a stage called “stung bath”, in which chickens are dropped down into a pot filled with water where electricity is running through it. 2 out of every 100 chickens survive this stage. Then the chickens go through a blade, but some chickens can also survive the blade. The chickens that are still alive are boiled to their death, which is cruel to animals. I know I do not want to be part of this terrible abuse of animals, and I sincerely am going to stop eating fast food.

       In conclusion, I now strongly do not desire to eat anymore fast food. I can’t stand the thought of the cruelty of these companies towards animals and workers. Also, the unsanitary and unhealthy junk that goes in to making a hamburger is nasty. I will never eat another piece of fast food EVER! Eww!