Fast Food Effect: An Overview of the Introduction of Fast Food into Human

Life, The Elements it Changes and its Impact on the Health of the Population

Research Question: To what extent does the documentary - Super Size Me- give the viewer an
understanding of the impact of American food industry on the increasing global obesity?

Subject: English B

Word Count: ?
Contents
1. Change of Food in an Industrialized and Globalized World
1.1.Industrialization and Urbanization
1.2. Change of Agriculture
1.3. The Relationship between Globalization and Food
2.Modern Food Culture: Fast Food
2.1. The Emergence of Fast Food and Its Contributions to Modern Life
2.2. Effects of Fast Food on Human Health
2.2.1.Super Size Me Documentary
2.2.2.Food Addiction
2.2.3. The Importance of Advertisements for Fast Food
2.2.4. Change of Diseases
3.Fast Food vs. Slow Food
4.Conclusion and Suggestions
5. Bibliography
Introduction
Fast food is now seen as a means of meeting the need for fast and cheaper meals compared to
other meals that have settled in most people's lives. So, how much profit do we, as the consumers
of such fast and cheap meal make and what do we lose, in what terms do the manufacturer and
the companies marketing these products make a profit? The purpose of this essay paper is to
discuss this question, to provide as much information as possible about these issues, to present
ideas on devastating effects of fast food on humans life and to try to find a solution fort his
problem.
With the industrial revolution, the demand for labor increased, and people migrated from rural
areas to cities. In urban life, it has become difficult to allocate time for cooking and housework at
home, as all the adult members of the family are in working life and cannot spare time for
housework. The number of restaurants has increased in the cities, but the food prices have
remained very high compared to home cooking. Industrialization and urbanization and the
increase in health and hygiene facilities have affected the population growth rate, and the
population has reached an enormous number that has never increased in a period of 100 years.
The need for cheap food has also increased with the increasing population.
Especially in the USA, the steps of some companies that think about whether an industrial
revolution can be made in food in order to solve these problems and the scientific and
technological studies carried out to make food cheaper have caused radical changes in both the
content and the way of preparation of food in today's world. Along with this change, the health
problems faced by people have also changed in a specific way and there has been a tremendous
increase in the diseases related to the body's defense system. Although clear scientific findings
cannot be reached between diseases and food, many statistical parallels between the increase in
the graphs of these diseases and the changes in the way we eat and the types of food consumed
are immediately striking. Science and technology can often provide solutions to problems as well
as cause problems. The criteria for the use of new technologies found (profit, human benefit,
corporate interest or prioritizing the planet) determine the problem it may cause. In other words,
although scientific ethics is a universal principle, it is not always followed. For example, although
there is a technological development in nuclear weapons, it continues to be a problem for
humanity and our planet.
The industrial revolution has brought with it the creation of the division of labor and the increase
in production, therefore, a globalization movement. The income levels of the companies, which
increased in parallel with the increase in production, and the ease of transportation, caused them
to enter the race to open a branch all over the world. As a result of this, a global world has been
formed, consisting of many branches such as a single standard food industry, one pop music, one
fashion, one cinema etc. Due to the globalization taking place all over the world, people's own
localities are ignored and their cultures are destroyed.
Freedom of thought allows to look at problems from different angles. Science, media, culture, fed
from a single source, always turns into religion, that is, it cannot be questioned or criticized. One
of the greatest needs of humanity today is impartial constructive criticism. Our most important
principle and aim in this study; It is an effort to find impartial constructive solutions.
1.Change of Food in an Industrialized and Globalized World
1.1.Industrialization and Urbanization
After the invention of the steam engine, individual production, which was much more demanding
in previous ages, accelerated considerably. Due to this acceleration, especially countries with
developed economies and rich in raw materials were able to process the goods in their hands
much more easily. This development in the field of production has brought with it an industrial
revolution that has started to be seen all over the world. With the ease of production, countries
have become even richer.
As a result of this enrichment, the living standards have increased, especially in the industrial
areas. As a result of the industrial revolution, although the production increased with steam
machines, there was still a need for labor to work in these machines. The peasant part, who
remained poor due to their living standards and job opportunities, migrated to these industrial
areas somehow. Due to the migrations, a population increase was experienced in these central
regions and these regions were forced to develop. As a result of these developing regions, a new
concept called urbanization has emerged.
In addition, as a result of these developments in the field of industry, it has provided the need for
people to master certain areas. As a result of this mastery, it has led to the emergence of the
division of labor in industrial production, which is now a new mode of production.
1.2. Change of Agriculture
Agriculture has been a very important and vital area in human life throughout the ages. It has an
important place not only in terms of feeding oneself, but also in terms of economy, as it is the
area where basic food products are grown to be sold to earn money. Since the agricultural
revolution that took place in the Neolithic ages, agriculture has undergone a large-scale
development and change.
One of the most important steps in the development of agriculture has been mechanization in
agriculture. The foundations of mechanization in agriculture were laid with the steam machines
that emerged in the industrial revolution. The use of machinery in agriculture has provided
convenience to the producers in this field as well as in other fields.
As time passed, various requirements have emerged in the field of agriculture, as in every field.
The increase in the world population along with the living standards has also increased the
nutritional needs of people. In order to meet this need, solutions have been found with biological
tools as technology progresses. At the beginning of these solutions are biochemical drugs and
GMOs. Although biochemical drugs are based on killing insects in plants in order to increase
crop yield, it has been understood that these drugs used in time harm not only the insects but also
the person who eats the plant that is sprayed with pesticides. GMO, on the other hand, increases
the efficiency like biochemical drugs, while it is seen that it harms the people who consume it
because the genetics of the plants are tampered with. GMOs are transmitted not only to plants,
but also to plants and animals. Although GMOs, which are encountered in every part of the food
industry, increase the efficiency of the product and reduce the cost, it greatly harms human
health.
1.3. The Relationship between Globalization and Food
Globalization, which manifested itself especially in the 1980s, has experienced global integration
in many different fields. With the increase in technology, transportation and the capital of
companies, international companies that spread all over the world formed the basis of
globalization. Many personal items such as clothing, music, technology, and household items
have tended to become uniform due to companies spreading all over the world.
The traces of globalization can be seriously observed not only in these personal belongings, but
also in the food sector. The changes in agriculture day by day, the fact that most countries import
seeds cheaply from other countries, and the desire to achieve rapid growth by using standardized
GMO feeds in livestock are some of the major effects of globalization on the food industry.
Growing fast food companies in the catering industry offer their products to the consumers with
the same type of packaging and the same type of advertisements in the same type of restaurants
all over the world within the scope of globalization.
2. Modern Food Culture: Fast Food
2.1. The Emergence of Fast Food and Its Contributions to Modern Life
Fast food can be defined as a type of food that has gained great momentum especially in the last
80 years, and is usually sold by self-service. In fact, the history of fast food, known by everyone
as American origin, goes back much further.
Many fast food products seem to have their origins predominantly in ancient Europe. In many
historical studies, it has been found that products similar to fast food were consumed as a meal in
England in the 1840s. In fact, the real discovery of fast food dishes, which is widely consumed
today, dates back even before the 1840s.
The hamburger, which is considered the first type of fast food, is actually a type of steak that is
often consumed in Russia of the Middle Ages, especially in tribes such as Tatars. After the Tatars
introduced this meat in the German port of Hamburg, the Germans fried this steak flock and
added onions to it. They introduced this dish to the Americans during their expeditions to the
American continent, which had just been discovered by the Germans, and today the final version
of the hamburger, which most of us enjoys, has emerged. Even in Rome, which is considered the
city of civilization outside of the Middle Ages, dishes similar to pizza and hamburgers are seen.
The fast food industry started in America in 1921 with the opening of a restaurant called White
Castle. In the following years, the first branch of McDonalds, which is still one of the most
popular fast food restaurant chains, opened in 1948. In the same year, a system never seen before
in restaurant chains emerged. The In-n-Out system was the first and only system to service the
car at that time. Restaurant chains such as KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut that emerged in the
following years had the opportunity to adapt to this system and develop themselves. The first
brand to franchise was KFC. With the spread of cars in the 1950s, these companies had the
opportunity to create a market area of their own.
Looking at the basis of Fast Food products, it can be seen that all of them are formed due to a
specific need or feed a need. For example, taking the package directly and going to the desired
place by car without losing any time in McDonalds restaurants and eating the food solves the
problem of planning the time when the people of this century are victims. Likewise, the idea of
not going to the restaurant with this feature has started to make people more fond of their comfort
zones.
Another example was coke. Although cola initially emerged as a beverage idea to relieve
stomach indigestion, thanks to the sweeteners and sugar put in it, people wanted to consume this
drink whenever they wanted something sweet, not when they had stomach indigestion. In this
way, they need to achieve a continuity in order to both earn money and earn regularly by putting
money in order.
By the 1990s, the Fast Food sector was no longer a sector that became widespread in America,
and the first steps of globalization in the food sector were taken. McDonalds, the food brand
known to almost the entire human population, has more than 34,000 branches in 119 different
countries.