Just Finished Reading: Fast Food Nation – What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World by Eric Schlosser (FP: 2001) [289pp] 

I think I bought this when it came out in paperback here in 2002, which means it's been sitting in various book piles, unread, for 20 years. This fact is not particularly uncommon for me. Interestingly 2002 was the early stage of being a full-on vegetarian for me. I’d tried it before, maybe a year or two previously, but had gone back to eating meat. I’d never been a HUGE meat eater even before I took the veg pledge so actually giving it up entirely wasn’t exactly a huge burden. Often, when eating out, I’d choose the veggie option because it, to me anyway, simply tasted better. Sometimes the veggie meal took longer to come out simply because they had to make it from scratch. I liked that. 

Fast food, likewise, had never been a huge part of my life. Growing up in the 60’s (even in a large city) American style fast food joints simply did not exist. Plus, being urban working class, we didn’t exactly have a lot of disposable cash so eating out at all just wasn’t going to happen. It was only when I went to University in the early 80’s that I started eating out – including in fast food places – with any kind of regularity. Still, we didn’t often frequent McDonalds or Burger King. Mostly back then it was local (and looking back on it ‘questionable’) local places for late night burgers or pizza on the way back from the pub. One of our favourite places, I still fondly remember, was Ali Barber Burgers – and my mouth is now watering! I remember his chili sauce was to DIE for, just don’t get it on your clothes! 

Even when we did, occasionally, frequent places like MaccyD’s we knew exactly what we were purchasing – it wasn’t food, it was fuel. Something quick, edible and reasonably cheap to grab on the way to somewhere or the way back from somewhere when you needed something *now*. In other words – convenience. Before the recent apocalypse I probably hit BK maybe once a month prior to a cinema trip. If the only option was McD I’d probably end up with a large strawberry milkshake (NEVER ask what’s in it!) and a large fries. Those two items I’ve always considered the best McD had to offer. At work, if I was visiting our off-site outstation, I’d walk back via McD just to pick up a milkshake... 

But, at long last, to the book. Interestingly, this is not the usual polemic about fast food making you fat. Although there is some of that in here, how could there not be, it’s much, much more than that. Looking at all aspects of the industry – and it is VERY much an industry complete with an industrial product and industrial waste (and not just in the product) - from the cattle, to the slaughterhouse, to the underpaid staff, to the health impacts (fat to food poisoning) to the impact on urban development. Much is made of (US) government inability to control or regulate the industry and the negative impact that lack of regulation has had on all involved except those making lots and lots of money at the top. Unsurprisingly, given the nature of the beast, the vast majority of the book looks at the US experience (despite the sub-title) but near the end of the book the author does look at the impact of fast food in other regions (the rise in obesity in Japan after fast food arrived there) and had a particularly intriguing aside at the very end concerning a libel case in the UK that was, at the time of publication, the longest court case in UK history. More on THAT later!  

Despite the fact that this book is now 20 years old I suspect that little has actually changed in the practice or raising cattle, slaughtering them or how the fast-food workers are paid or treated. As the author recognises, laws and regulations in these areas are generally deemed either unnecessary or harmful (to the bottom line, naturally). I’m sure we’ve all lost count of the times that mega-rich corporations have cried on camera about the fact that they’d sure like to pay people more but if they did that they’d just have to lay people off or go out of business. Funnily enough though, fast food employees in countries outside the US are paid better and do get benefits (that the company said they can’t afford) without going bust or cutting back. Weird that! Likewise, animal husbandry and slaughterhouse practices are regulated heavily in Europe and other places without McD or others taking much of a hit to their profits. Although they might not like laws, regulations and unionisation they don’t have the clout in other countries to restrict or stop them to the extent that they do in the US.  

Finally, the author mentioned the BSE (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis that had just hit the UK and Europe about the time of publication. Governments across the UK and EU were in panic mode regarding the possibility that BSE had managed to cross the species barrier from sheep to cattle and then on to humans causing vCJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) that was both incurable and fatal. There was a real fear that, years down the line, thousands of people could die. It never came to pass but, again across the UK and EU, new regulations came into force regarding the composition of cattle feed – no longer could you feed recycled dead sheep to herbivores! - and slaughterhouse practices – no more removing spinal columns with chainsaws! The industries involved had little choice and were essentially informed that they applied the new rules or ceased to do business. They chose to continue making money, although the publics consumption of meat dropped rather dramatically, and very publicly showed how the new regulations were being applied and that they themselves had been disturbed at the practices of their suppliers... 

I think if I hadn’t already been a veggie (and had read this book soon after publication!) it would’ve put me on that road anyway. So, if you like your burger down at the local franchise and really don’t want to know what goes on before you lift it to your mouth, this may not be the book for you – no matter how out of date it no doubt is by now. Definitely recommended if you have a reasonably strong stomach and don’t mind the occasional nightmare!