He begins with the origins, with Carl Karcher of Carl's Jr., the McDonald brothers, Ray Kroc, and Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and we see how suburbanization, car culture, and an entrepreneurial spirit mixed to spread fast food across the nation after World War II. We learn how McDonald's developed their child marketing strategies and how it has resulted in the debates today over corporate sponsorship of schools. Then a chapter on workers, the people behind the counters, why certain demographic groups tend to work for fast food restaurants, the experiences they have and the risks they face. Finally, he writes about how the industry has become so successful, the subsidies they get, and the hype they create. This is just the first half, and as absorbing as the book is until this point, it is the second part, away from the restaurants and to the other industries that support the fast food industry, that is mind blowing.
From how potatoes become fries and the chemical flavor factories that create their taste, to the modern production of beef and poultry, to the exploited workers in the meatpacking and sanitation industries, to E. coli 0157:H7 and the meat industry's reaction to it, to the levels of obesity and cultural change in other countries, each page provides entertainment as well as horror. Through all these topics, Schlosser keeps his eye focused. All of these nightmarish descriptions and stories are connected to the fast food industry and the unrelenting impetus for more product at less cost. The question of the book is whether or not more product actually results in more cost. Amputations, disease, environmental damage, and inhumane treatment of animals are externalities not included in the price of a hamburger.
I was surprised by the epilogue. Despite his sardonic tone, and the almost cynical content, Schlosser provides in the end a way out. He suggests that things don't have to be the way they are; at least one tool of leverage we have is our status as consumers and voters. In any case, Schlosser gives a broad case study of how business is in no way a champion of free enterprise, innovation, and progress. They demand that government not intervene, but they also demand subsidies in various forms with no conditions. They manipulate and deceive. They resist change. And they can suck out the dignity of human beings to the point where their bodies are physically and emotionally incapacitated. I am sure that even Karl Marx would be shocked by the town of Greeley, Colorado as described here, and Sinclair would probably be disappointed that almost a century after THE JUNGLE, a book like FAST FOOD NATION had to be written.
Schlosser uses many first hand accounts and stories to give context to the information presented. At first this seems somewhat biased as most of the stories come from the "little guy" (fast food franchise owners, ranchers, etc), but is pretty well balanced with the opinions of "big business". The stories provide an interesting history of the industry and help put a face on many of some of the more significant players.
Personally, I found the most disturbing part of the book to be the business practices of companies in the fast food and meat packing industries. The nutrition aspect wasn't too much of a surprise since restaurants make that information available. Overall, it has significantly changed my view of the fast food industry.