Andrew Connelly’s answer to #2

When Eric Schlosser says “the real price never appears on the menu,” he is referring to the prices you pay not only in relation to money, but also to your health, the environment, and the economy. Regular consumers of fast food are much more likely to develop health issues and concerns. Many health concerns brought upon by fast food include both physical and mental ones. Extremely high levels of cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease are a few examples of the physical impacts that fast food may cause. In addition to the physical aspects, fast food can affect users mentally as well. Excessive consumption of fast food may lead to a sort of “dependence” on the food, causing painful headaches and other affects if the food is not consumed. The majority of fast food is cooked in oil or grease, causing the products to be even worse for you. The fast food companies noticed people starting to realize how unhealthy their food is and they tried to combat this by offering “healthy” alternatives. However, these alternatives often are very high in calories, fat, trans-fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Even after all these facts became common knowledge to consumers, they continued buying from these restaurants. Fast food throughout the world appeals to almost every audience. Parents use fast food as incentives for their children’s good behaviors. College students eat at fast food restaurant because it’s cheap and quick to get. Because of this, the fast food industry has expanded quicker than anyone could have predicted. Fast food is now not only one of the biggest industry’s in the world, it is also one of the most successful. Fast food expanded from hot dog stands in California run by a married couple to tens of thousands of restaurants at every intersection. People all over the world spend billions of dollars each year. It has become so popular that people now spend more on fast food than higher education. Changes in policy led to the adoption of plastic and paper packaging instead of plates and silverware. This decision added tons of paper waste which gets put in landfills along with plastic and Styrofoam.