If one thinks about the growing concerns related to the fast food industry, particularly in regards to its impact upon health, in the US at least there have been two major media events that have been at the forefront of highlighting these issues, these being the book 'Fast Food Nation' and the documentary 'Super Size Me.' However, half a decade since these items were first introduced to the public, it is interesting to discover to what extent, if any, they have had an impact upon the food industry.
Fast Food Nation was authored by Eric Schlosser. It was first published in 2001 by Haughton Mifflin in the US and subsequently published by Penguin books in the UK and other areas of the world. This book was followed a year later with the Oscar nominated documentary 'Super Size Me, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock' Both of these medium set out to provide a detailed study into the contribution that fast foods were making to one of America's fastest growing and most alarming health problems, obesity.
'Fast Food Nation' the book studies the growth of the fast food industry and looks both at how it has become such an acceptable national food source as well as studying the potential dangers of its ingredients upon the health of the consumer. In addition he provided a behind the scenes view of the various processes that took place within the supply chain that led from the farm to the delivery of the end product, the fast food meal. Much of this, including the way that animals were treated at slaughter houses and the fast food chain employment policies and actions was an unwelcome revelation to the general public who consumed these products.
'Super Size Me' took this concept one step further. Using himself as the research subject (or guinea pig) Morgan Spurlock set out to prove the harmful and damaging effect that eating three 'square' fast food meals a day, together with living a sedentary lifestyle, can have upon the health of an individual. The results of this thirty day trial was that Spurlock experienced a weight gain of over 24 pounds, experienced heart palpitation and showed a significant increase in cholesterol, insulin, fat and sodium levels. His doctors informed him at the end of the trial that the damage to his heart could be permanent. The result was to raise yet another alarm to the public regarding the dangers of excessive consumption of fast food products.
Although there is no doubt that these two events have had some effect upon the consumer who is concerned about their health and has acted as a wake up call to a relatively small number of other consumers but, as stated earlier, the question is what impact has they had upon the fast food industry.
Statistics from the National Restaurant Association in the US showed that in 2006 fast food sales rose by 5%. This followed a 5.6% growth in 2004.Early indications are that in the two subsequent years, partially as a result of the current global economic crisis, this growth rate is continuing if not improving. Conversely US population statistics show a total 4.34% rise for the years between 2000 and 2006, with the 2007 increase being around 1.95% and 2008 0.74%.
These statistics show that consumption of fast foods is exceeding the numbers of people available to eat them, which suggests that in terms of individual consumption levels, despite their worthy efforts 'Fast Food Nation' and 'Super Size Me' have at best had a limited effect, but nowhere near the impact that the authors had no doubt hoped to achieve. Whilst there is little doubt that consumers are more aware of the dangers of fast food as a result of the media attention focused on these two items, to date at least they do not appear to be having a significant impact upon consumption habits or the growth of fast food outlets.