Fast Food Nation 2007

An interesting article sent to me by Kim VanHoosier-Carey about chemical flavoring.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Popcorn-Safety.html

Flavoring issues and chemicals are creating an impact on the food safety of our nation years after the publication of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (2001).

The politics of food are finally colliding with the demands of the working class, and gaining national attention, as published by the New York Times yesterday (Wednesday, September 26, 2007).

An interesting follow-up to those who have read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation – an analysis of the fast food industry – which includes a specific section of chemical flavoring in today’s fast food, as well as a compelling argument for workers rights. In the second section of Fast Food Nation entitled “Meat and Potatoes”, Schlosser addresses the incompetence of the federal government’s agencies, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). He particularly mentions “discrepanc[ies] of more than 1,000 percent,” and negligence to pressure large corporations to uphold the government’s safety standards (Schlosser 180). Schlosser never hesitates to critique “pro-business Republican[s],” in Fast Food Nation, and it appears that the New York Times is unafraid to do so either (Schlosser 158). While workers who inhale diacetyl are suffering from “popcorn lung,” they are also assaulted with external pressure – the terrifying prospects of workers comp, economic security, medical bills, the cost of insurance and a hungry family to feed and care for. It seems the Democratic Party, with Representative Betty Sutton blazing the path, is seeking to make up for the laissez-faire attitude of Republicans and the Bush administration toward enforcing strict OSHA standards. “‘Workers should never have to choose between their health and feeding their families,’” a compelling argument to enforce safety standards immediately (as quoted in the New York Times).

Democratic Representative Robert Andrews of New Jersey claims, “‘OSHA has not acted, so today we will’” (as quoted in the New York Times). Regardless of Democratic incentives to promote party politics and gain the support of the working man, with the impending 2008 election, it is a breath of fresh air to take labor issues directly to the heart of American government.

Watch for bill number H.R. 2693.
For more information visit: http://thomas.loc.gov


“Restrictions on Diacetyl Exposure Sought.” New York Times. Online. Opera. 26 September 2007.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.