NationStates Jolt Archive

Has anyone else read the book Fast Food Nation (2001) by Eric Schlosser? I found the chapter about conditions in the meat plants most interestng and horrifying.

I was also amazed at the US Government's reluctance to act against the huge problems caused by the behaviour of the meatpacking industry.

Has anyone else read the book Fast Food Nation (2001) by Eric Schlosser? I found the chapter about conditions in the meat plants most interestng and horrifying.

I was also amazed at the US Government's reluctance to act against the huge problems caused by the behaviour of the meatpacking industry.

No I haven't, because I like eating meat and I'm worried that a lack of ignorence about these things will turn me veg.

Did you see 'Supersize me' when it was on?

I read some of it but if the government steps in it would make food prices so high it wouldn't be worth it.

I read some of it but if the government steps in it would make food prices so high it wouldn't be worth it.

Right... because American companies are so hopelessly inefficient that they couldn't possibly turn a profit if they had to abide by basic rules of hygiene like every other developed nation. I assume that's what you're saying.

It was one of my text books last semester. And like any other text book that I've ever had I hardly touched it. It was a fun class though.

I read some of it but if the government steps in it would make food prices so high it wouldn't be worth it.
First of all, the government is already in it--it's called the USDA and the FDA. Problem is, they're not doing their jobs, largely because they've been gutted by budget cutting (because the food industry lobbies so hard for it and guess which party they support?).

And the second point is also untrue. I eat organic beef and chicken and eggs all the time, and while they're slightly more expensive, they're not prohibitively so. And considering that we're talking about helth issues that kill people every year, isn't it worth it to pay a little more in order to have truly safe food? It is to me.

Some germs in your food are good. They build up your immunity. Plus they weed out the weak.

Some germs in your food are good. They build up your immunity. Plus they weed out the weak.
We're talking about Ecoli and Salmonella here, not the harmless good bacteria.

Has anyone else read the book Fast Food Nation (2001) by Eric Schlosser? I found the chapter about conditions in the meat plants most interestng and horrifying.

I was also amazed at the US Government's reluctance to act against the huge problems caused by the behaviour of the meatpacking industry.
I read the book. I thought that it was just an ordinary muckracking book. It does more to expose the industry than to chastise the government. However, I found the chapters about the fast food industry most amazing. Did you know that the Golden Arches are more known in the world than the Christian cross?

First of all, the government is already in it--it's called the USDA and the FDA. Problem is, they're not doing their jobs, largely because they've been gutted by budget cutting (because the food industry lobbies so hard for it and guess which party they support?).

And the second point is also untrue. I eat organic beef and chicken and eggs all the time, and while they're slightly more expensive, they're not prohibitively so. And considering that we're talking about helth issues that kill people every year, isn't it worth it to pay a little more in order to have truly safe food? It is to me.
The main problem, actually, is that the USDA and FDA don't work together. The USDA regulates chickens, but the FDA regulates eggs. It creates bureaocracy that makes any new regulations hard to enforce.
But hey, at least our meat isn't like how it was under the Streamlined Inspection System of Bush I. You should've read that paragraph on the conditions of beef patties.

Oh I read it all right. Scary stuff.

You're right about the problems between the FDA and the USDA--that system needs to be streamlined and buffed up. But that's not going to happen under a Republican administration. To be fair, it's not going to get to where it needs to be even under a Democratic administration, but it'll be better than it currently is, because the Democratic party isn't as beholden to the food industry as the Republican party currently is. (Should there be a long-term shift in the current political power structure, I'm sure that will change as well.)

I read the book. I thought that it was just an ordinary muckracking book. It does more to expose the industry than to chastise the government. However, I found the chapters about the fast food industry most amazing. Did you know that the Golden Arches are more known in the world than the Christian cross?
I do now!

The most interesting part, IMO was the "Worst job in America" chapter - cleaning the meat plants.

I do now!

The most interesting part, IMO was the "Worst job in America" chapter - cleaning the meat plants.
That did sound bad. But hey, some one's gotta clean them.
Still, I'm confident that working conditions have begun to improve in those plants because of this book. No fast food chain wanted to be associated with a slaughterhouse that abuses the free market.

Hmn... well, the violation of human rights, dignities, and lives apalled me, as well as the meat stuff... That was just so wrong! I also found myself in deep resent over how public schools so desperate for funding have to get corperate sponsorship in exchange for peddling corperate agendas... It's the government's responsibility to take care of the schools!!

Oh I read it all right. Scary stuff.

You're right about the problems between the FDA and the USDA--that system needs to be streamlined and buffed up. But that's not going to happen under a Republican administration. To be fair, it's not going to get to where it needs to be even under a Democratic administration, but it'll be better than it currently is, because the Democratic party isn't as beholden to the food industry as the Republican party currently is. (Should there be a long-term shift in the current political power structure, I'm sure that will change as well.)
It won't happen under any administration. More would be done by the government, but as long as their are lobbyists breathing down politicians' necks, that won't be so.
I read another book by Fareed Zakaria that focused on this. According to him, when committee meetings in Congress were opened to the public, the only ones that took advantage were the lobbyists. They have kept things like a subsidy for mohair on the books.

The other thing that book made me seriously rethink was immigration policy. The way illegals are exploited by the industry made me rethink my point of view on how we deal with immigration.

I'm of the view now that while we need to do more to secure our borders, the best way to do it is to start shutting down businesses that are knowingly hiring illegals. No fines. No slaps on the wrist. Shut them down, auction off their assets, and put their CEOs in jail. Make it a national security issue. You'll see lobbying for immigration reform faster than anything.

I know; it's not realistic. But a guy can dream, can't he?

I remember reading in the line notes of a Moby album that something like 80% of FDA chicken inspectors don't eat chicken. That should tell us something about the state of the plants.
From http://www.foodtechsource.com/emag/011/numbers.htm:
of the chickens that were passed for sale to the public, 42% had hair or feathers, 21% had bruises the size of a quarter or larger, and 16% had scabs or sores

I read the parts my school photocopied for us to read. I didn't have time to go to the library so I could read the whole thing, and by summer I forgot about it. I should go get it though, although I probably already know most of what it has to say thanks to PETA, my parents, and other sources. I saw "Supersize Me" and was appalled when my friend, ten seconds after leaving the theater, said "I want french fries."

The most telling quote in the book for me:

There is shit in the meat.

Ugh.