# data[].attributes.body
100 million people in America are obese!

71% of Americans are overweight or obese!

A Gallup survey showed 80 percent of Americans eat at fast food chains at least once a month!

# data[].attributes.body
"Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy." USDA ERS, Economic Research Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 26 Jan. 2023, www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%2021.1%20million%20full,1.3%20percent%20of%20U.S.%20employment. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Barclay, Eliza. "Food Industry Drags Its Heels On Recyclable And Compostable Packaging." NPR, 29 Jan. 2015, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/01/29/382408572/food-industry-drags-its-heels-on-recyclable-and-compostable-packaging. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

"Cashier hourly salaries in Virginia at McDonald's." McDonalds, 2023, www.indeed.com/cmp/McDonald's/salaries/Cashier/Virginia. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

Chandler, Adam. "Why Americans Lead the World in Food Waste." The Atlantic, 15 July 2016, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/american-food-waste/491513/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

Clay, Rebecca A. "The link between food and mental health." American Psychological Association, Sept. 2017, www.apa.org/monitor/2017/09/food-mental-health. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Collins, Emily. "Junk Food's Influence on Politics, Policy and Society." Lehigh University, 22 Feb. 2023, www2.lehigh.edu/news/junk-foods-influence-on-politics-policy-and-society. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Diamond, Anna. "A Crispy, Salty, American History of Fast Food." Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian, 24 June 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/crispy-salty-american-history-fast-food-180972459/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Furhman, Joel. "The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food*." National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, 3 Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Fusion Creative. "Fast Food Statistics." The Barbecue Lab, Barbecue Lab, 2023, thebarbecuelab.com/fast-food/#:~:text=Statistics%20from%20a%20survey%20conducted,eating%20fast%20food%20every%20day! Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.

Greenhouse, Steven. "A Day's Strike Seeks to Raise Fast-Food Pay." New York Times, 31 July 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/business/strike-for-day-seeks-to-raise-fast-food-pay.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

"How Does Fast Food Impact the Environment?" Envirotech Online, 7 Feb. 2019, www.envirotech-online.com/news/business-news/44/breaking-news/how-does-fast-food-impact-the-environment/48286. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

James, Frank. "Arizona School Bans Lunches With 'Processed' Foods." NPR, 14 Apr. 2010, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/04/arizona_school_bans_processed.html#:~:text=Press-,Arizona%20School%20Bans%20Lunches%20With%20'Processed'%20Foods%20%3A%20The%20Two,with%20processed%20and%20refined%20ingredients. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Jones, Jerlyn. "Is fast food bad for you? All you need to know about its nutrition and impacts." MedicalNewsToday, 17 Dec. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324847. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Kaplan, Karen. "Experts zero in on pizza as prime target in war on childhood obesity." Newsela, 29 Jan. 2015, newsela.com/read/pizza-obesity/id/7017/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Kendall, Emily. "fast food." Encyclopedia Brittanica, 3 Mar. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/fast-food. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kirkland, Justin. "Chick-fil-a's Owner Is Newly Connected to Anti-Equality Act Donations." Esquire, 3 June 2021, www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a36622217/chick-fil-a-owner-donations-against-equality-act/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.

Lark, Rachel. "5 Ways the Fast Food Industry Affects the Environment." Enviornment.co, 25 July 2022, environment.co/fast-food-affect-environment/#:~:text=Food%20production%20takes%20up%20around,create%20a%20large%20carbon%20footprint. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

"Modern food emissions." Nature Climate Change, Nature.com, 8 Mar. 2023, www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01643-2. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

"Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics." U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31 Mar. 2022, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353023.htm. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

"Our food system is broken." Food Tank, 2013, foodtank.com/about/#:~:text=We%20aim%20to%20educate%2C%20inspire,push%20for%20food%20system%20change. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Rahal, Nour. "U-M graduate student workers on strike, seeking better pay and benefits." Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2023, www.freep.com/story/news/education/2023/03/29/university-of-michigan-graduate-employee-organization-on-strike/70059248007/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Robinson, Jessah. "The short- and long-term effects of eating fast food." Cabot Health, 2023, www.cabothealth.com.au/the-short-and-long-term-effects-of-eating-fast-food/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Stafford, Diane. "Fast-food workers say they're cheated out of some pay." Newsela, 10 Apr. 2014, newsela.com/view/ck9noo9tg00h50iqjszhj5plo/?levelId=ck7ecu0vh02dt14p7lf5xprsz. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

"This is how badly climate change has hurt food production." aljazeera, 2023, www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/4/2/this-is-how-badly-climate-change-has-hurt-food-production. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Williams, Candice. "Detroit McDonald's workers walk out to push for $15 an hour." The Detroit News, 19 May 2021, www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/05/19/detroit-mcdonalds-workers-walk-out-push-15-hour/5163513001/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Protests for a higher minimum wage in Detroit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Employment in Agriculture, Food, and related industries.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Problem With Fast Food and How We Can Solve it

# data[].attributes.subject
The Problem With Fast Food and How We Can Solve it

# data[].attributes.body
Fast food has negative impacts that need to be addressed. Fast food has created multiple problems. Despite all these depressing health facts, some chains are trying to do better. Dominos wants to create zero net emissions by 2050. McDonalds and Chipotle are working to source their food more sustainably. Starbucks is replenishing clean water sources and planting trees. Companies are currently working to lessen the negative impacts. Even individuals themselves can make a difference. Individuals can purchase more beans, vegetables, and nuts to stay healthier. Fast food should be eaten in moderation and should be eaten rarely. Some schools are already taking action. The Children’s Success Academy in Tucson, Arizona, has banned school lunches that have processed food. Some organizations are in place to promote healthy eating, such as The Food Tank. The Food Tank provides healthy, flavorful food, and helps alleviate hunger, poverty, and obesity. These are just a few of the solutions. Another solution is to campaign to inform the public of the dangers of fast food. People used to campaign to inform the public of the dangers of smoking, and it worked. Why can’t fast food be the same? Creating solutions to lessen the negative impacts of fast food could help both humans and the environment.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Economic And Political Impacts of Fast Food.

# data[].attributes.subject
The Economic And Political Impacts of Fast Food.

# data[].attributes.body
Fast food plays into the American economy and politics. Fast food greatly affects the economy. The fast food industry is worth 570 billion dollars per year. The average American household spends 10% of their annual income on fast food. Fast food is easy to get because you receive the food fast (hence the name). Fast food is an easy option for most lower class people and families as it is cheaper. Believe it or not, fast food also plays a big role in political impacts. Fast food is seen by activists and the government, who can issue loans to help small businesses open fast food chains. Popular celebrities or government officials eating at a fast food restaurant is a blatant example of plain folks propaganda. Other than propaganda and issuing loans, fast food causes debates about fast food beliefs. For example, Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A gives some of it’s money to companies and organizations that are unfriendly towards the LGBTQ+ community, and working to derail the Equality Act.  Some people are unhappy about these donations and as a result, they refuse to buy from Chick-Fil-A. Fast food has a large economic and political impact on the U.S.

# data[].attributes.body
The fast food industry is affecting people all over the world with horrible environmental choices. Americans are wasting up to 40% of food each year, but 85% of it is fast food. But why? Two-hundred thousand burgers are thrown in the trash each and every day around the world at the end of the day due to fresh meal experience. Companies like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts throw away food at the end of the day because of a fresh guarantee to customers. Food isn’t the only thing that fast food chains are wasting. Grocery stores routinely throw away produce for being the wrong shape or containing minor blemishes. The fast food industry is estimated to use 10% of the global water flows. Wasting this food is only causing more problems. Fast food waste is causing 49% of the litter in the US. Reusable resources are estimated to be able to eliminate 33% of it. Greenhouse gas emissions are another part of the problem, slowly affecting the world. Meat and dairy emissions will likely make up 70% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Fast food and it’s negative effects play a big role in environmental sustainability.

# data[].attributes.body
Because fast food has been around for decades, we have had time to evaluate its effects on human health and the economy. Today, eating fast food might kill more people than cigarette smoking. Fast food has both long and short term negative effects. Consuming food that is high in salt, like fast food, causes increased hunger, water retention, thirst, cravings, spikes in blood pressure, and issues with digestion. Reduced cardiovascular function, shorter lifespan, increased blood pressure, and obesity are the long term results of eating fast food.  It is not surprising fast food is unhealthy because it is full of sugar and fat, but how much? There are 33 grams of fat in a big mac. Compare that to an orange, which has 0.1 grams of fat. One reason people get fast food is it’s cheap and convenient. So many people eat fast food that it affects the economy. In 2021, American fast-food restaurants made more than $250 billion dollars. Fast food is helping the economy and employing Americans. Since fast food chains require cashiers and employees, fast food is providing jobs for lots of Americans. An estimated 3 million people work at fast food restaurants in the U.S., since ⅓ of Americans are eating fast food on any given day. But how much does a fast food worker actually get paid? A McDonald's cashier in Virginia gets paid $11.22 on average. That is 8% below the national average.  Paying fast food workers a low amount of money means an unlivable wage for the workers and their families. Workers at a McDonalds held a strike for a more livable wage. “Patricia Moseley has worked for McDonald’s for more than 30 years. As a shift manager, she makes $12.20 an hour, which she said is not enough for the work she does.” Moseley and the others went on strike for a $15 dollar livable wage. Although fast food is a large part of the economy and employs people, the health effects have proven to be awful.

# data[].attributes.body
You’ve probably had fast food before, but when did it become so popular? Let’s start at the beginning. The country’s first fast food chain, White Castle, opened in 1921. Americans fell head over heels for the hamburger. But fast food did not become a thriving industry until after World War 2. In the 1950s and 60s, as American started driving more, fast food chains responded by adding drive-thrus. The In-N-Out Burger chain was credited as the first fast food restaurant to create a “modern” drive-thru. But if Americans knew fast food was unhealthy, why would they eat it? Fast food can release dopamine in your brain, which is a chemical that makes you feel happy. Another reason is that fast food is convenient, cheap, it tastes good, and is reliable. By the 21st century, there were at least 200,000 fast food restaurants in the U.S alone. Today, almost every exit on the highway has a McDonalds because fast food is so popular. Fast food has been around for decades and gained a lot of popularity.