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