Fast Food Nation - A good book

I read Fast Food Nation last week. It is an excellent book. Scary, but excellent.

The author writes about the history of fast food in our country, and documents a great number of problems which fast food either created or exemplifies. The butchering chapter is only a small part, and not as gross as I had feared. It is shocking, however, how little progress has been made since the publishing of The Jungle.

The book ends with a powerful set of prescriptions: recommendations for reform. I find the list compelling. One argument of note is the one for banning advertising to children. I support the idea that children aren't capable of understanding the motives of advertisers. I also understand the free speech implications. Schlosser points out that Congress banned cigarette ads years ago. Unhealthy fast food ads, aimed at children who can't assess the health of the food, are vulnerable to a similar argument.

It's nice that Kellogg has decided to institute such a ban.

Other recommendations seem beyond debate to me. We shouldn't have poop in our food. People should work in safe environments, in accordance with the law. Here's a letter I sent to my representatives on this issue:

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Dear Senator Smith,

I recently learned about how E. Coli and other diseases like salmonella and "mad cow" spread in our food supply. I feel ashamed. I expect more from our government. The FDA and the USDA do not cooperate well, and they do not have the authority they need to keep our food safe.

I ask you to sponsor legislation reforming our food safety system. We need one agency that regulates all our food, which has the power to recall contaminated food. Corporations cannot be trusted to test our food for safety. The government must inspect our food supply, and ensure that it is free from disease. The FDA's inspectors are vastly overworked and underfunded. We need 5 times as many inspectors in our meatpacking plants and other food factories.

Cows are herbivores, as are chickens. The feeding of any animal to these animals is foolish and unnatural. I ask you to support legislation immediately banning the feeding of any mammal remains to any food animal. Cannibalism is wrong in cattle, just as it is in humans, and it is making people sick.

The other element of our food industry in massive need of reform is worker safety. OSHA is not enforcing workplace safety adequately, and the penalties for companies are ineffective. When the fine for a worker death is $800, companies will simply budget for a certain number of dead.

OSHA needs stronger inspections, tougher standards, and meaningful penalties that give factories a reason to change. With safer workers, we will also have a safer food supply.

Thank you,
Anders Liljeholm