How McNuggets changed the world

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http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010122/fast.htm

Science & Ideas 1/22/01

How McNuggets changed the world

The story of fast food: Yes, you are what you eat

By Spake

Fed up with carhops, broken glassware, and rowdy teenage customers,

and Maurice Mc opened Mc's restaurant in 1948 at the site of

their former San Bernardino drive-in. To attract families driving

California's new freeways, they topped their building with eye-catching

golden neon arches. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, milkshakes, and

sodas, sold in paper wrappers and cups, were the only menu items. Each

15-cent burger came with ketchup, onions, mustard, and two pickles, and food

preparation was divided into simple, repetitive tasks. One worker grilled

burgers, another put on condiments, one wrapped food, one made fries and

shakes, others took orders. With the principles of the assembly line added

to the commercial kitchen, fast food was born, and with it a new way of

life.

" Fast food has had an enormous impact not only on our eating habits but on

our economy, our culture, and our values, " says Schlosser, author of

Fast Food Nation, out this month. On any given day, about one quarter of

U.S. adults visit a fast-food restaurant. The typical American now eats

three hamburgers and four orders of french fries each week. Thirty years ago

Americans spent about $6 billion annually on fast food; in 2000 they spent

over $110 billion, more than on higher education, personal computers, or new

cars.

Let's eat! Mc's, of course, primarily owes its success to Ray Kroc,

who showed up at the Speedee Service selling milkshake mixing machines in

1954. Kroc had a vision: a Mc's at every corner in every town in

America. Soon, he made a deal to franchise the eateries. Low labor costs

became his key to keeping prices down. " Mc's pioneered a sector of

service employment-part-time, low-wage jobs, offering no benefits, " says

Schlosser. Today, fast-food workers typically quit or get fired every three

to four months. The industry pays most of them minimum wage, and companies

benefit from federal programs that reward them for creating jobs for the

poor. " American taxpayers in effect subsidize the industry's high turnover

rate, " Schlosser adds.

In more recent years, success has come from innovations like the " Chicken

McNugget, " created by a chicken processor at Mc's request. Made from

pieces of reconstituted chicken breast that are held together by

stabilizers, breaded, fried, frozen, and then reheated, McNuggets were

introduced in 1983. They became wildly popular among young children and

those adults who believed them to be healthier than burgers. (In fact,

McNuggets contain twice as much fat per ounce as hamburgers and are fried in

hydrogenated vegetable oils containing high amounts of trans fatty acids, a

culprit behind heart disease.)

The impact has been enormous. Before McNuggets, most chickens in the United

States were sold whole. Today, 90 percent of chicken is cut up, much is

precooked in oil, and chicken companies, like beef producers, have turned to

low-skilled workers, many from Mexico and Guatemala. With an injury rate

several times higher than the national average, medical care for this

low-wage, uninsured workforce is covered through taxes and in higher medical

bills, another " hidden cost " of fast food, says Schlosser. " Like the

increase in E. coli 0157:H7 and other foodborne pathogens which paralleled

changes in beef production resulting from the chain's demand for

hamburger-the inexpensive appearance of fast food is an illusion. " Still,

Mc's recent agreements with animal rights activists may lead to

improvements in conditions for laying hens and chickens. Mc's agreed,

for example, to purchase its 2 billion eggs only from ranchers who subscribe

to their animal-welfare guidelines.

Even apart from the McNugget, fast food's most clever marketing has been to

kids. Every month, 90 percent of American 3- to 9-year-olds go to a

Mc's. The company mascot, Mc, is more recognizable to

youngsters than any character except Santa Claus. Many chains have tie-ins

with Disney, Fox, and sports leagues, but Mc's 1997 promotion of the

Teenie Beanie Baby, free with each Happy Meal, is a classic. In 1997,

Mc's was selling about 10 million Happy Meals per week. Over a 10-day

period, sales of Happy Meals with Teenie Beanie Babies, aimed at 3- to

8-year-olds, jumped to 100 million per week.

Still, it may only be a matter of time before consumers force fast-food

chains to tame their marketing talents and come up with healthier recipes,

says Schlosser, who believes promoting fast food to kids should be banned

like cigarette advertising. " Obesity is second after smoking as the leading

cause of deadly illness, " he says, " and childhood obesity is rising. " He

points to In-N-Out Burger, a small, California-based chain, as a sign of the

future. The chain uses fresh ingredients and healthy oils for frying, " and

they treat workers well, " Schlosser adds. And as at Mc's 50 years ago,

the lines outside In-N-Out Burger grow longer every day.