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7 February 2019

A Historical Outlook of the Effects of Fast Food to Food Production

The increasing popularity of fast food, as it began with McDonalds in the early 20th

century, has in turn created a spark that soon led to the industrial production of food in today’s

modern society in the United States. Fast food production has been known to incorporate the

usage of industrialization to distribute and produce processed foods. Through a historical lens

there have been many practices that have been altered and created within the food production.

Such as traditional agricultural practices like pasturing providing benefits; while on the other

hand, food handling practices and food lots that have in turn caused disadvantages within many

areas that food production are located. Downfalls have led to many drawbacks that in turn could

lead to a downward spiral affecting others as well. For instance with improper handling of food

within the processing of food, some cases involving E. Coli, have been caused due products

involving some victims to pass or come with serious symptoms towards E. Coli. There are many

detrimental factors that consumers are not aware of, which leads to the reason why this research

is important. By acknowledging the past, and how present events can help impact the future,

many will be able to refrain from making the same mistakes. It is apparent that the increase of

new practices in food production, results in concerning conditions such as animal cruelty,

improper food handling, and the use of improper practices for the rise of productivity and

efficiency, suggests a need for change in the way food processing works in the United States.

Within food production, there has been many changes compared from the past to the

present day in term of practices and the main source of demand within the meatpacking industry.

As mentioned by Eric Schlosser, a journalist and author for the Best-Selling Book called Fast

Food Nation, explains that “During the 1980s, large multinationals… were allowed to dominate
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one commodity market after another. Farmers and cattle ranchers are losing their independence,

essentially becoming hired hands for the agribusiness giants or being forced off the land”. Before

the 1980s, farmers and cattle ranchers were more in reign as to what agricultural product to

produce. The lack of demand from consumers and companies in this time period allowed them to

maintain their independence and keep traditional procedures practiced for years. However, with

the introduction of multinationals, companies operating in many countries such as the US, has

resulted in farmers and cattle rancher to lose control. Due to increasing demands of agricultural

products such as meat, most ranchers begin to focus more on that area of agriculture instead,

implementing new practices such as feedlots, antibiotics, and intensive agriculture, which in turn

affects the welfare of many ranging from the environment to animals. For instance, as mentioned

by Sánchez-Bayo, from the University of Sydney specializing in life and environmental science,

talks about the use of pesticides which in turn can result to “short-term imbalances in the

planktonic and invertebrate communities to long-term reduction in the reproductive ability of

some bird and fish species” (Sánchez-Bayo). From these possible effects that could result from

the use of pesticides, it can in turn result to “snowball effect,” where an initial issue can result to

a massive problem that in turn can affect many surrounding it. For instance, if pesticides resulted

in lack of reproductive abilities within bird and fishes and one being a keystone species, it can

result in major changes within the ecosystem causing harmful damage towards it. After the

introduction of corporation to food production, “... meatpacking companies now control about 20

percent of the live cattle in the United States through “captive supplies” — cattle that are either

maintained in company-owned feedlots or purchased in advance through forward contracts.”

(Schlosser). With the use of more feedlots into today’s society we can see that the demands from

food companies are high, resulting in many practices to fulfill their needs. From the increase of
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practices such as “captive supplies” with the use of feedlots to store livestock, sanitation and the

lack of food handling becomes a problem within food processing.

In the food industry, the lack of sanitation and food processing are becoming more

apparent, resulting to many new practices being established within food production. As

mentioned by Kathleen Hilimire, an assistant professor and sustainability coordinator of Fort

Lewis College, “When animals that have been bred for industrial agriculture are managed on

pasture, they may be more susceptible to disease and environmental stress” (Hilimire). Such

things similar as well like antibiotics are used within animals in order to prevent diseases to

occur, that in turn can affect the value of agricultural produce created. Although, antibiotics may

be used to prevent diseases and the spread to others, bacteria can gain resistance from with the

repetitive use of antibiotics, making them immune and having to develop another antibiotic to

the disease once again. Along with the animals being bred as mean for industrial agriculture and

antibiotics being used within the food production, Chad Lavin, an Associates Professor in the

English Department at the University of Buffalo, had discussed about factory farming, where it

may be perceived as “Rube Goldberg Machine” with much efficiency, but in turn has drawbacks

with the constant reliance government funds, fossil fuel, and an environment suitable for

environmental runoff. (Lavin) Compared to the past agricultural practices, the environmental

impact done within today's society is far more significant than in the past, using many practices

similar to intensive agriculture which in turn can negatively impact the environment through

means of contamination and pollution of ecosystems within nature.

Along with the lack of sanitation from food processes, it becomes apparent that the

improper practices done within food production has caused the lack of sanitation. Although the

introduced practices bring benefits such as “increased food production, reliability, and yields;
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enhanced taste and nutritional value…” (National Academy of Science), it comes with

disadvantages. As said by the Carolyn Dimitri, a Research Economist in the United States

Department of Agriculture, “Since 1900, the number of farms has fallen by 63 percent, while the

average farm size has risen 67 percent” (Dimitri, et al.). With larger farmers, it decreases the

quality of goods produced by having to focus and maintain a wider area of agriculture under one

farm instead of multiple. The efficiency, yield, and resilience of crops and animal products

allows for more resources to be available, in turn the increasing quantity and efficiency of fast

food production. As seen with the resources processed between animals and crops, many types of

processes are used as ways to genetically modify them, one of which being Mendel’s discovery

of cross breeding. “The concept of dominant inheritance stems from Mendel's unexpected

finding that in a cross of white- and red-flowered plants in which the parents were homozygous,

the first generation was uniform (F1) but none of the offspring showed an intermediate color, and

the second generation (F2) produced three times more red- than white-flowered offspring.”

(National Academy of Science).

Due to the introduction of new food production practices within the U.S., there has been

rise in concerning conditions involving animal cruelty, improper food handling, and the use of

improper practices for the rise of productivity and efficiency. From increasing efficiency and

production that can be seen within food production, there’s an increase with food processing,

which in turn could make a positive impact to many which in turn could help with more jobs

being supplied towards the population where the food can be sent out to fast food franchises to

be sold which in turn could also help with franchises making a profit out of there restaurants.

This is an important topic to consider where something as simple as improper handling of food

can result into a massive amount of problems to occur within the future.
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Word count: 1298

Works Cited

Dimitri, Carolyn et al. “The 20th Century Transformation of U.S. Agriculture and Farm Policy”.

NALDC. USDA, 2005, naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/22832/PDF. Accessed 17 Jan.

2019.
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Hilimire, Kathleen. “Integrated Crop/Livestock Agriculture in the United States: A

Review”. Research Gate. Taylor & Francis Group, 2011,

www.researchgate.net/publication/233017860_Integrated_CropLivestock_Agriculture_in

_the_United_States_A_Review. Accessed 17 Jan. 2019.

Lavin, Chad. “Factory Farms In Consumer Society”. American Studies. University of Kansas

Libraries, 2009, journals.ku.edu/amerstud/article/view/4110/3894. Accessed 17 Jan.

2019.

National Academy of Science. “Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to

Assessing Unintended Health Effects”. NCBI. National Academies Press (US), 2004,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215771/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2019.

Sánchez-Bayo, Francisco. “Ecological Impacts of Insecticides”. Research Gate. University of

Technology: Sydney, 2011,

www.researchgate.net/publication/235903086_Ecological_Impacts_of_Insecticides.

Accessed 17 Jan. 2019.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001, Accessed 17 Jan.

2019.