IS FAST FOOD GOOD FOR YOU?

Whether you’re rich or broke, a vegetarian or non-vegetarian, fast food always finds a way to wrap its thick flabby arms around you.

The question we all find ourselves asking however, is it even that fast? Initially, the appeal of fast food came from its quick and efficient methods of preparation. However, I would think that getting fresh ingredients from a local market and actually making something yourself would take the same amount of time, if not less. (Despite so, this may just be a matter of privilege; not everyone has the time or money to cook fresh food every single day.)

I digress. What makes fast food so compelling to the millions of people guzzling cheesy whoppers and oily bags of fries? In 2004, a documentary called Super Size Me was released, exploring this idea. The documentary follows director Morgan Spurlock, as he commits to eating fast food for every single meal of every day, for an entire month. The documentary, much like a bad road accident, depicts a scene that you cannot look away from. Each horrifying physical side effect and gross psychological impact of the experiment, are put under a giant magnifying glass for us to see, and it’s terrifying.

While an experiment to him, this is the reality for many people around the world.  

But how much of this is actually the consumer’s fault? Undeniably, the industry’s ability to market and advertise its products is understatedly genius. The complexity of fast food advertising delves into the subject of behavioural economics, tackling human behavioural concepts which I cannot even begin to try and explain. All that we need to know is that these concepts have amassed the fast food industry with a whopping (pun intended) $570 billion. Wow.

Then again this is all speculation. The industry itself is as mysterious as the meat used in their chicken nuggets.