The Fast Foods Industry: Pros and Cons

The Fast Foods Industry: Pros and Cons
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The Fast Foods Industry: Pros and Cons
The fast foods industry is experiencing a rapid in growth in consumers because Gagnon and Freudenberg (2012) argue that the industry reported revenues exceeding $180 billion in America alone. In fact, analysts predict that the industry will experience an increase in revenue reaching up to $210 billion by 2018. What is the meaning of a fast foods industry? The phrase could be elucidated as a market dealing with foods that require little preparation before serving. Major companies involved in the industry include McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Subway. It is critical that scholars argue that the consumption of fast foods is dangerous owing to the reality that it could result in obesity. Nonetheless, the fast food industry also has positive effects on the society. This paper argues that even though the fast foods industry benefits the society, the negative effects of the industry far outweigh the benefits of the industry.
As aforementioned, the fast foods industry generates billions of revenues every year. This benefits the American society in different ways. For instance, the National Employment Law Project (2013) reveals that leading organizations in the industry award chef executives generous salaries and regularly distribute dividends to their shareholders. In addition, the industry creates jobs for many Americans. As an evidence of this, because Gagnon and Freudenberg (2012) argue that an estimated more than 3.5 million Americans are employed in the fast foods industry. This number is expected to grow steadily until 2018. It is crucial to note that the benefits of the fast foods industry do not stop at the creation of jobs. This owes to the fact the industry pays billions of taxes to the American government. It follows that the revenue generated by the fast foods industry benefits the American society in form of taxes paid to the government in addition to creating jobs.
The fact that the Fast foods industry pays taxes to the government does not imply that the industry lacks negative effects on the American society. According to the National Employment Law Project (2013), the industry is reported to have evaded taxes from the government. This owes to the reality that major industry players use loopholes that allow them to withhold the cost of performance-based payments. Additionally, the industry pays low wages to non-executive employees, which forces millions to depend on public support for health care, food, and additional necessities. As an evidence of this, the National Employment Law Project (2013) reveals that lack of benefits and low wages for employees cost the American government approximately $3.8 billion every year. This despises the fact that major industry players record high annual profits because the industry earned $ 7.44 billion in 2012 (National Employment Law Project, 2013).
Young and Nestle (2012) argue that the American population is at risk of obesity because statistics suggests that 35 percent of Americ...