| Drive down any suburban or city street and | | | | product if they do not know the full |
| you will witness an overload of fast food | | | | ingredients list. Some may be shocked to |
| marketing. Brightly colored signs, cheap | | | | know that Dannon strawberry yogurt gets its |
| value meals, happy cartoon logos, and a | | | | coloring from Dactylopius coccus Costa, a |
| familiar smell will fill your senses. Fast | | | | female insect that feeds on berries and |
| food restaurants have established themselves | | | | produces berry colored larvae. "The insects |
| as a leader in our nation's daily menu. What | | | | are collected, dried, and ground into a |
| is the net affect fast food and its | | | | pigment. It takes about 70,000 of them to |
| ingredients have on our health? What, if | | | | produce a pound of carmine, which is used to |
| any, moral and social obligations do fast | | | | make processed foods look pink, red, or |
| food companies have to their | | | | purple" states Schlosser.Another example of a |
| consumers?Obesity is believed to lead to | | | | misleading ingredient label comes from Burger |
| diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and | | | | King. Its strawberry milk shake lists |
| other illnesses. Over 60% of Americans are | | | | artificial strawberry flavor as one of its |
| considered over weight, and the rise in | | | | ingredients. By taking a closer look, we |
| diabetic individuals has increased | | | | learn that the following ingredients make up |
| dramatically. In 1999 there were 42 billion | | | | the artificial strawberry flavoring: amyl |
| people on direct diabetes medicine. That | | | | acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, |
| figure has more than doubled in less than | | | | anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, |
| three years."Fast food is literally | | | | benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl |
| shortening the life span of our citizens," | | | | isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac |
| states Lynn VanDyke, certified sports | | | | essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, |
| nutritionist, personal trainer and owner of | | | | ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl |
| McDonalds serves 46 million fast food meals | | | | butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, |
| every single day. As the documentary Super | | | | ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl |
| Size Me points out, each McDonalds employee | | | | methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl |
| is trained to up sell the size of each order. | | | | propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, |
| This increase in meal and drink proportions | | | | hydroxyphenol-2-butanone (10% solution in |
| is becoming so widely acceptable that cars | | | | alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, |
| now come with larger cup holders.The fast | | | | isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, |
| food process truly begins with the | | | | maltol, 4-methyllacetophenone, methyl |
| ingredients. As Eric Schlosser mentions in | | | | anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl |
| his article "Why McDonalds French Fries Taste | | | | cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl |
| So Good", the federal Food and Drug | | | | naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint |
| Administration does not require companies to | | | | essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, |
| disclose the ingredients of their color or | | | | neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl |
| flavor additives so long as all the chemicals | | | | alcohol, rose, rum ether, y-undecalactone, |
| in them are considered by the agency to be | | | | vanillin and solvent. Simply stating |
| generally recognized as safe, or GRAS. | | | | artificial strawberry flavoring is not |
| Unfortunately, consumers are not able to tell | | | | educating consumers on what they are eating |
| a products full ingredient list by reading | | | | and what possible effects these food products |
| the nutrition label. Terms such as | | | | could have on their bodies.Fast food |
| 'artificial' and 'natural flavoring' are | | | | companies have a responsibility to list all |
| often seen at the very end of most ingredient | | | | of their ingredients. It is a basic consumer |
| lists. We are completely unaware of exactly | | | | and human right to know what we are |
| what constitutes a natural or artificial | | | | ingesting. McDonalds and other companies |
| flavor.Fast food companies owe it to their | | | | complain that giving away all their |
| consumers to disclose all ingredient | | | | ingredients will result in them losing their |
| information. Many people have special | | | | secret recipes. As a culture we must face |
| dietary restrictions due to allergies or | | | | the reality that these ingredients and fast |
| religious affiliations. Some people simply | | | | food products are making us extremely |
| prefer not to eat a product that contains any | | | | overweight and very ill.McDonalds is the fast |
| animal or any part of an animal. According | | | | food leader of the world. They market to |
| to Schlosser, "The Vegetarian Legal Action | | | | young children by providing playgrounds, |
| Network recently petitioned the FDA to issue | | | | happy meals, and cartoon characters. |
| to labeling requirements for foods that | | | | Unfortunately, these children do not know |
| contain natural flavors." At this point in | | | | about the horrible side effects that eating |
| time, it is difficult for anyone to refrain | | | | fast food has on their bodies. "On average, |
| from using animal products or added coloring | | | | Americans now eat about four servings of |
| or any a specific chemical to do so.Consumers | | | | french fries every week" says Schlosser. |
| cannot make educated decisions about a food | | | | |