The fast food ecosystem essay

While the demand for these fast food increases, the demand for raw materials needed to make them increases as well. As a result, farmers needed to be more productive with their limited acreage of lands. This led to the shift from the previous free-range animal farming to confine farming. Furthermore, this also led to the monocropping of certain crops, especially corn for the United States. However, it comes with serious costs. When these crops are processed, huge businesses can sell this at the price of their choice because unlike traditional stores, they have the capacity to buy and process agricultural produce in bulk. Let us take the example of Freedman (2017) in his article How Junk Food Can End Obesity. He compared the calories present in shakes he tried: one from McDonalds and one from a vegan restaurant near Hollywood.

He tried the awful-tasting shake from a vegan store that was prepared for several minutes to which he paid $9. It contained 300 calories. Take the case of seed coating. In this technique, the seeds are either sprayed or dipped into fungicides before they get planted to avoid the development of diseases in the latter stage of its growth. A few weeks later, it would then be heavily fertilized to hasten its growth. Fast forward to a few months later, it would be sprayed with fungicides and pesticides continuously until weeks before harvest to prevent the destruction of fruits and vegetables. Lastly, fruits and vegetables would be waxed to improve its shelf life and reduce post-harvest losses. For example, PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are used widely in fast food packaging.

They are called “forever chemicals” because they stay inside the human body for a very long time. In a study conducted by Schaider et al. , they tested over 400 fast food wrappers and they found out that more than half of it was positive to the mentioned chemical. To determine whether these chemicals could have negative impacts on human consumers, they exposed the rats to it. They prefer to have a limited view on these issues in exchange for a satisfying and addictive meal. Besides, McDonalds fries are still cheaper than a kilogram of fresh, organically-produced potatoes, right? Upon careful analysis and reflection, consumers will realize what was written in the article Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food, "Once you factor in crop subsidies, ecological damage and what we pay in health-care bills after our fatty, sugary diet makes us sick, conventionally produced food looks a lot pricier" (Walsh).

Fast foods seem to be the friend in the short run, but they are the actual foe hiding behind the false claims of their highly-processed products. Consumers, while being the losers in this ecosystem, are in fact the most powerful ones. They decide which businesses would survive, therefore dictating which products would survive as well. Well, that’s just outside the company. On the other hand, inside the company, the workers want to be promoted. For that to happen, they need to outwork their colleagues. The need to spend more time impressing their bosses with their projects. Less time for eating well and other personal things. It is made for him and the few people in their neighborhood. Consumers would soon appreciate the bountiful offerings of nature, without the chemicals and fertilizers.