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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zwtmELcwU2LmAuG2j237m5hOVeYm9klCXkdAGzQSsBk/edit?usp=sharing

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This bar graph shows the percentage of adults aged 20 and over who consumed fast food on a given day. It emphasizes how much fast food the US eats each day.

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This image shows litter around each coastline. Much of the litter belongs to fast food chains, highlighting how this is such a severe problem.

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The fast food industry significantly helps the economy and personal finance for many crucial reasons. First, there are 5,199,714 fast-food employees in the United States as of 2023. Our national wage for fast-food workers is 27,040 per year. Since of the number of employees in the United States working for the fast food industry, the fast food industry is worth 331.41 billion dollars in 2022. In addition, in 2000, the fast food industry was worth 239.2 billion dollars. This shows that in about 2 decades, the fast food industry has increased by over 95 billion dollars. This is partly because of food delivery companies being founded in the past decade. Some food delivery companies include DoorDash, GrubHub, and Uber Eats. GrubHub estimates that 70% of their users utilize GrubHub’s applications for ordering fast food. Food delivery companies made fast food more fast and more convenient to access for customers. As a result, food delivery companies have boosted the fast food industry. Fast food is also a cheaper source of food. For example, a McDonalds Big Mac cost 4.67 dollars in the state of Virginia. For reference, an average restaurant meal for a single person costs 13 dollars. This is way more expensive than fast food. Because of all this information, we can see that fast food is beneficial for personal finances in that it is usually cheaper than other foods. All this information shows us that the fast food industry helps propel the economy and can assist with our personal finance.

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The fast food industry can have negative impacts on humans, for copious amounts of detailed, scientific information, shows that over the past 50 years, the health of Americans has worsened due to the fast food industry. One part of the problem is that fast food tends to be high in calories, fat, salt, and refined sugar. A single burger can contain 500 calories, 25 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, and 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Since fast food is so unhealthy, when consumed regularly or in large quantities, this is more than enough to cause massive havoc in our bodies. Also, “on any given day in the United States, an estimated 36.6% or approximately 84.8 million adults consume fast food”  (CDC), and a Gallup survey showed 80 percent of Americans eat at fast food chains at least once per month, Americans have become reliant upon fast food as a major source of food. According to Mashed, McDonald’s alone sells 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 burgers every hour, 6.48 million burgers every day, and 2.36 billion burgers every year. As a result, when fast food is consumed in excess, it can cause obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is supported by data from a 2017-2020 survey showing that 41.9% of adults in the US are obese. An unhealthy diet also can cause other fatal health risks, along with harming the brain. Multiple studies have found when you have a diet high in refined sugars, you can have a less effective brain function. Because fast food tends to be high in refined sugars, it can cause you to have a less effective brain function. Ultimately, this can result in worsened symptoms of mood disorders, like depression. Also, consuming a diet that is high in fat, calories, salt, and processed ingredients, all of which are commonly found in fast food, can lead to an increased risk of the development of many diseases.

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The fast food industry can have extremely negative impacts on the environment. Ample research shows that 85% of food waste in the United States outside of the home belongs to fast food chains. As a result, food waste from fast food chains worsens climate change because of its significant greenhouse gas emissions. Fast food is also the primary source of litter in the US, adding up to 49%. Litter also contributes to climate change because they create methane and carbon dioxide. This is since when solid waste decomposes, carbon dioxide and methane gas are created. Carbon dioxide is the natural product when anything rots into the air, and methane is created when there is no air present. Furthermore, the EPA published a report saying that each year, U.S. food loss and food waste generate 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective, that is equivalent to the number of CO2 emissions from 42 coal-fired power plants. Since the fast food industry contributes significantly to food waste along with litter, the fast food industry ultimately helps greatly contribute to global warming. On top of all of that, several fast food chains have packaging containing PFAS. PFAS are man-made chemicals used to make nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, along with much more. Consequently, in the creation, use, and disposal of a package, PFAS can enter into water sources causing water sources to be contaminated. When drunk by animals and humans, it can cause many harmful effects. All this absolutely shows that the fast food industry can impact the environment in a harmful way since fast food chains contribute to climate change and some use PFAS.

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How we can solve the Challenges of Fast Food.

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How we can solve the Challenges of Fast Food.

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The problem with fast food is that fast food tends to be unhealthy because it is high in calories, fat, salt, sugar, and processed ingredients. The fast food industry also contributes to climate change due to food waste. Finally, the fast food industry uses PFAS for packaging. However, all these negative challenges can be overcome by having all of us do our part. First, fast food companies could buy LFC Biodigesters, which are made by Power Knot. These machines use a series of processes where microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the presence of oxygen. These machines would cut down food waste because the food would be composted and not emit carbon dioxide. This would help solve the problem of fast food contributing to global warming. We can resolve the issue of PFAS entering water sources by using GAC, or Granular Activated Carbon. The EPA says that “GAC can be 100 percent effective for a period of time, depending on the type of carbon used, the depth of the bed of carbon, the flow rate of the water, the specific PFAS you need to remove…”  On top of all of this, we can have Congress make a law that makes products with PFAS illegal. Eventually, most of the PFAS will be eliminated either because of the filters, or because they cannot be produced anymore, solving the problems concerning PFAS. To resolve the problem of fast food being unhealthy, restaurants can change their menus to include more nutritious ingredients and offer them at reasonable prices. People can also choose to order more healthy items such as salad rather than french fries. This all shows that all these challenging problems about fast food can be solved by having all of us work together.

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The origin of fast food dates back to 79 AD. Numerous amounts of evidence show that humans have been eating food on the go since Pompei. After entering the 20th century, self-serve restaurants like automats were opened. Automats were an intermediate between a cafe and a vending machine. These restaurants would have no waiters or waitresses but instead would have machines where you could buy your food. In 1921, White Castle, the first official fast-food restaurant in the United States of America, was founded by Billy Ingram. The restaurant opened in Wichita, Kansas, and sold hamburgers for 5 cents each. Each burger would contain a small, square patty, inside a slider bun. In 1927, Billy Ingram invented the idea of restaurant carry-out. Their slogan was “Selling ’em by the Sack.” At first, fast food restaurants were small, locally operated, and tied to suburban life. Then, all of a sudden, highway systems were developed in the 1950s and the 1960s. This encouraged famous fast food chains we know today, like McDonald's and Burger King, to be founded. Highway systems quickly made fast food popular in the United States. By 1961, White Castle sold 1 billion hamburgers, becoming the first fast food chain to sell 1 billion burgers. Now, “on any given day in the United States, an estimated 36.6% or approximately 84.8 million adults consume fast food.” (CDC) Another report from the National Center for Health Statistics also showed that between 2013 and 2016, about 37% of US adults consumed fast food on any given day. In fact, according to Mashed, McDonald's sells 4,500 burgers each minute, 270,00 burgers every hour, 6.48 million burgers a day, and 2.36 billion burgers every year! Finally, at the beginning of the 21st century, food delivery companies like GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats were founded. The development of these apps significantly caused fast food to be consumed more. According to GrubHub, it noted that over 70% of users utilized their applications to order fast food. Because of food delivery apps, highway systems, along with much more, the fast food industry has grown in popularity tremendously, making fast food where it is today.