Fast Food Nation

New York Times Bestseller, 

 With a New Afterword

“Schlosser has a flair for dazzling scene-setting and an arsenal of startling facts . . . Fast Food Nation points the way but, to resurrect an old fast food slogan, the choice is yours.”—Los Angeles Times

In 2001, Fast Food Nation was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. Eric Schlossers exposé revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. The book changed the way millions of people think about what they eat and helped to launch todays food movement.

In a new afterword for this edition, Schlosser discusses the growing interest in local and organic food, the continued exploitation of poor workers by the food industry, and the need to ensure that every American has access to good, healthy, affordable food. Fast Food Nation is as relevant today as it was a decade ago. The book inspires readers to look beneath the surface of our food system, consider its impact on society and, most of all, think for themselves.

“As disturbing as it is irresistible . . . Exhaustively researched, frighteningly convincing . . . channeling the spirits of Upton Sinclair and Rachel Carson.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Schlosser shows how the fast food industry conquered both appetite and landscape.”—The New Yorker

Eric Schlosser is a contributing editor for the Atlantic and the author of Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness, and Chew on This (with Charles Wilson).

The New York Times bestseller that blew the lid off the fast food industry—exposing how they've malled our landscapes, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad—now includes a new Afterword from the masterful muckraker (who started it all), Eric Schlosser.

The New York Times bestseller that blew the lid off the fast food industry—exposing how it has malled our landscape, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad—with a new afterword from the masterful muckraker who started it all, Eric Schlosser.

   Schlossers myth-shattering survey stretches from Californias subdivisions, where the business was born, to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike, where many of fast foods flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths—from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate. On its publication, Fast Food Nation changed the way America thinks about the way it eats, and it continues to inform and inspire readers concerned about the dramatic impact fast food has on our economy and our health.

Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions, where the business was born, to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike, where many of fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths — from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture and even real estate.

Eric Schlosser is a correspondent for the Atlantic. His work has als

Introduction 1

I. The American Way

1. The Founding Fathers 13

2. Your Trusted Friends 31

3. Behind the Counter 59

4. Success 91

II. Meat and Potatoes

5. Why the Fries Taste Good 111

6. On the Range 133

7. Cogs in the Great Machine 149

8. The Most Dangerous Job 169

9. Whats in the Meat 193

10. Global Realization 225

Epilogue: Have It Your Way 255

Photo Credits 273

Notes 274

Bibliography 330

Acknowledgments 336

Index 339