Custom «Effects of Fast Foods» Essay Paper Sample

Fast foods have become a common trend amongst many individuals. Most people would always say they don't have time hence opt for fast foods. With the advancement of modern technology these foods are made in way that leaves questions unanswered. Despite research showing organic food such as meat and poultry serve better nutritious supplements, most people tend to rely on fast foods such as vanilla and, barbecue more so in U. S. A. (Alexander, 22). There are some negative aspects pegged to modern food production techniques in the society. Modern food production techniques are costly hence it is not convenient for poor farmers since it involves scientific knowledge. In spite of its prevalence for about in 13year in U. S. A. the debate about fast foods has taken centre stage in today's discussion. This paper tries to stipulate the effects of fast foods that are exhibited in our contemporary society.

Firstly, Modern methods also make use of machinery which is not available to every farmer in the world hence, it leaves the poor farmers out as they cannot afford the equipments required and, it also involves heavy investment especially when breeding certain crops for the sake of improving their nutritive values. In the process, various elements are introduced into them. It also builds the view in people that, only modern produced foods are good for consumption hence, the foods produced using conventional methods are, viewed to be of lesser value. Traditional farmers are therefore left out with their own produce making them to suffer economically (Schlosser, 112). It also observed that, foods produced using modern productions are also costly. However, the big question is why most people rush for them? Similarly, there is great fear in the world that genetically modified foods have immense negative health Impacts on peoples' health.

Consequently, modern food production is now focusing on safety of foods consumed by customers by introducing new techniques and, state of the art processing methods have been discovered to ensure that valuable nutrients are preserved. There is an immense focus on safety in foods being evident in the area of quality standards and safety. Safety requirements are of global significance along the whole food production line, from harvest of raw materials to storage of processed foods in homes (Wilk, 77). The key concern therefore is suppressing the growth of unwanted organisms that may spoil food. These actions have effects on the health of the society since; they eliminate the chances of food poisoning. Similarly, modern food production methods are also more focused on meeting specific dietary needs for the society. With the increased knowledge on the importance of various nutrients, diets can also be developed to meet specific need as numerous plant ingredients have already been shown to be beneficial in disease prevention.

With the increasing knowledge on the importance of various nutrients, diets can be developed to meet specific needs. There is a wide range of food designed to suit the nutritional requirements of various groups such as the old, expectant or breast-feeding mothers, infants, young children and sportspersons. Such foods are characterized by a balanced composition of energy suppliers in the form of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, they have cocktails of vitamins and minerals composed according to the current state of scientific knowledge. For many elderly, they have an advantage that, the same foods may provide a balanced diet and, a sufficient supply of vitamins. Also, essential amino acids and minerals are provided without changing long standing habits. Application of modern food production methods has also proved to increase the levels of output in farms. Modern methods lead to high turnout of food production.

There are several reasons for the causes of negative impacts of modern food production in the contemporary society. It is evident that, due to the high knowledge required in the production, only a few companies will be able to pool the resources and expertise to carry out the studies and production (Brown, 68). Some of these companies are unscrupulous and, will charge so much on their products since there are less competitors in the market hence, being a burden to the society as they are compelled to pay more. Also, there are other researchers who only claim to have improved a certain food in form of its nutritive value yet, it is not just to get easy money. The consumers are not aware of that hence, they end up buying the products not knowing they have been conned. In addition, lack of regulation by governments is another cause of negative impact on the health. This is because, some food producing companies will not carry out enough studies while genetically modifying some foods hence, may end up being lethal to the society's health.

However, modern foods have had numerous positive impacts. With the advancement of scientific knowledge in plants and genetic engineering, it is possible to introduce even produce allergen free plants which are safe for the society. Genetic engineering is used to produce allergens in amounts sufficient for scientific analysis. The main aim is to produce varieties which have no predominant allergens and thus accommodate even hypersensitive consumers. Also with sophisticated technological efforts, it is possible to meet safety standards while maintaining organoleptic quality. Unwanted micro-organisms in foods need moisture, neutral pH values, low salt and sugar concentration and moderate temperatures to grow. This has called for measures to be undertaken to prevent the growth of these micro-organisms even after mild processing conditions, e. g various combinations of heat and acid treatments. The use of technology on the addition of antimicrobials, magnetic field pulses or computer aided design of equipment that is easily cleaned. As heating can destroy sensitive food ingredients, e.g. vitamins, modern pulse heat treatment involves very brief heating interspersed with cooling phases.

Another way to combat microbial growth is water extraction, like industrial microwave drying of fruits or spray-drying of milk. Microwave drying offers the advantage of relatively low temperatures combined with the reduction of pre-existing moisture levels resulting in preserving valuable nutrients and flavors. Nowadays, food diagnostic methods are also being employed to determine the condition of foods by checking the temperatures, acid content, presence of certain metabolic products or, the quantity and type of micro organisms in a sample of safety controls. Besides conventional practices such as physiochemical characterizations, state-of-the-art molecular genetics methods are also widely used to identify spoilage bacteria. New tests based on molecular genetics can also be used to investigate a food's origin. Modern food production methods also act positively by improving the helpful micro organisms which contribute both to flavor and preservation of food stuffs.

Low earnings among the people in the society, has led to permeation of fast foods because, low earning people mostly would prefer to purchase the fast foods rather than other foods so as to be able to pay bills. It is evident that, fast foods may at times cost lesser as compared to other healthy foods. Also, the society is not concerned in what they eat but are ready to consume the fast foods not withstanding their effects to their health (Meeks, 122). The fast food industry is experiencing a tremendous growth and success due to the changing lifestyle in the society whereby, people are no longer doing strenuous jobs so they end up preferring fast foods. It is also evident that fast foods are cheaper compared to other foods so people are inclined to buy them due to current economic situations.

In conclusion, the society nowadays is a working one where people have no time to prepare food hence; they prefer to walk into fast food outlets and purchase rather than spending time cooking. The society is also experiencing changed eating habits and, people are not too much concerned with their health thus they buy fast foods. There is also a growing demand in fast foods mostly linked to the increasing population growth and also advertisements. Fast foods are also addictive and hence once one is used to them it is hard to leave.