Fast food plays a key role in food-related diseases across the country. In America alone, about 5,000 die of food-related illness per year, and about 75 million become affected with some sort of food-related disease annually.
I don't have a problem with the term fast food, but how the business is run is atrocious. The large majority of meats in fast food derive from cows that are herded together in horrible conditions and fed corn as a diet substitute. The meat is processed junk really. Have you guys looked into the patty once you took a bite out of it?
What saddens me is that so many people gorge on the stuff and have it for every meal. Worse, a large portion of that percentage of people know it's unhealthy for them but they continue to do so.
I for one eat very little fast food, and when I do, it's usually a small pack of fries and a soft drink. I prefer to cook, and I believe that that is the very problem. For us as a society, it is much more convenient to have things handed to us quickly and on the go rather than take some time and cook on the stove. Many people picture cooking food as a rather strenuous and lengthy task when most meals require little culinary education and take about thirty minutes to prepare, at maximum.
What the fast-food chain should be doing is find a way to serve meat from free-range, grass-fed cows and organically grown crops at about the same cheap price and prep time. With enhanced grills and cooking equipment, this is very possible.
But, alas, companies like McDonalds are more concerned about pumping millions of dollars into renovation projects in order to make their localities look more like Starbucks instead of upgrading the quality of their menu.