Preview

The True Cost Of A Cheeseburger

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
381 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The True Cost Of A Cheeseburger
I agree the Mark Bittman that the true cost of a burger is not the price that we pay at the time of purchase; rather there are many externalities that are not included in the price of burgers that are produced by fast food restaurants. The writer started the article with mention of The Cheeseburger Bill which was passed by house of Representatives in 2005 that is forbade the consumers to sue the fast food companies over the weight gain.
One the fast food restaurants make a burger, they produce a lot of carbon which is a negative externality to the society, they do not pay the price of the damage they do to the society by producing carbon. Mark tries to explain the externalities of the production process and how the true cost is not included

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation is about the fast food industry and all its negative aspects and influences. Schlosser introduces Fast Food Nation with a description of the California orange groves of the past and the fast food influenced urbanization that has replaced the groves. Schlosser concludes through a bold statement, "The low price of a fast food hamburger does not reflect its real cost – and should. The profits of the fast food chains have been made possible by losses imposed on the rest of society." Eric Schlosser is incorrect in his assumption that the price of a hamburger does not reflect its true cost. Its price represents America's gain from the blessing of fast food.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” By Mark Bittman, Bittman is expressing his views on how eating wholesome meals at home is healthier and less expensive than buying junk food from fast food restaurants. In his article, Bittman is stating the facts that healthy eating is affordable and can be obtained. He writes about how buying meals for a family of four from a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s can cost twice or even triple the amount as eating a simple and healthier meal at home. Brittman says that buying chicken, vegetables with a salad and milk will cost very little and if you substitute that for a healthier low sodium meal you can save even more. People need to realize there is a way to change our terrible eating habits.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the essay “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zincezenko talk about how fast food has contributed to the increasing amount of obese and unhealthy children in the U.S. Over the years many people has tried to sue these fast food restaurants like McDonalds, KFC, and Taco Bell for making them fat. David uses his own personal experience growing up to help bring perspective to everyone of how easy it is for people to choose unhealthy eating habits. He talk about how his mom worked and didn’t really have time to cook, so to make sure he ate she would have him choose something to eat that would be quick and not the most expensive. If you are looking for something that is inexpensive and a “quick buy” then fast food would be the most convenient. He also…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    He begins the book by letting readers how much the average American person spends on fast food each year. He points out that that the society spends more money on fast food than higher education. Schlosser then continues the book by giving the history of fast food and gives short stories of several originators of fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The biography of each “pioneer” of a fast food restaurant chain helps to add to Eric Schlosser’s logos appeal while adding interest to the story. The writer also uses an abundance of numerical data and facts to support his writing. For instance, when explaining the growth of fast food in society, Schlosser writes, “In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food; in 2000, they spent more than $110 billion”(Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    David Zinczenko’s essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” (New York Times, November 23, 2002) emphasizes the idea that the large conglomerates may be held accountable for some legal responsibility for the skyrocketing rate of obesity in America within children. He uses anecdotal evidence from his past to argue that it is not the consumer’s fault that they are experiencing health issues, it is the multinational corporations that own the most well known fast food restaurants. Zinczenko starts by saying that he has been a victim of these large conglomerates as a younger boy. He states that he had a daily task of choosing where to have his lunch and dinner between four well-known fast food chains. Zinczenko also shares that he lost…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shouldn’t we as a consumer know better than to eat more than one meal a day at a fast food joint (Zinczenko 392)? Zinczenko implies that today’s Americans eat fast food purely because of its convenience, but the underlying tone of his article keeps hinting at the fact that the fast food industry is at fault. He clearly explains that there is a lack of nutritional labeling on fast food that leads to consumers being misguided to what they are really eating, which could lead to increased health issues in adults and children. For example; if you order a chicken salad with a large Coke to drink you are actually ingesting more than 1,490 calories (Zinczenko 393), which is half of the governments recommended calorie…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Schlosser’s sense of humor and word choice set the all-inclusive tone throughout the book. His presentation of his argument is straightforward and out in the open. Although, Schlosser gives opportunities to side differently, his overall standpoint is potent. His intent in writing the book is to challenge people to consider the consequences of eating at McDonalds or any other fast food chain. He gives us insight on what really is going into our food.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Health

    • 3363 Words
    • 14 Pages

    2) An example of a good with an external cost includes A) Jess smoking near her non-smoking roommate. B) electricity generation that produces carbon dioxide emissions that contribute toward global warming. C) All of these are examples of mixed goods with external costs. D) noise pollution from aircraft. E) logging that destroys wildlife habitat. Answer: C…

    • 3363 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Chew On This

    • 2311 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Schlosser, Eric. "Fast Food Nation: The True Cost of America’s Diet." McSpolight. N.p., 3 Sept. 1998. Web. 09 Aug. 2014. <http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/rollingstone1…

    • 2311 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Don T Blame The Eater

    • 350 Words
    • 1 Page

    In the article Don't Blame The Eater, David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies and the food industry are to blame for America's obesity outbreak. Zinczenko article discusses fast food and it negative effects on individuals if they eat from these type of restaurants on a regular basis in 2002. The idea for this article was to raise awareness of what eating fast food has done and can do if consumed regularly. Zinczenko blames the fast food restaurants for increased diabetes cases, increased obesity, and states that there should be lawsuits filed against the restaurants because of these things. In his essay Zinczenko calls for widespread fast food reform.…

    • 350 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Portion Distorsion

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    CEO John Martin used so-called “smart research” to find his loyal customers who mostly young males, who came in more than 20 times a month to the restaurant. John says “These guys ate at fast-food because they had no interest in cooking for themselves and didn’t care about a healthy lifestyle. These people didn’t care about taste just because it was fast and cheap it was good enough for them. People don’t realize it’s better to cook for yourself than to eat out at least you know whats in your food and how it was made. As fast food companies quickly learned cheaper food men’t bigger profits they followed suit companies from Burger King to Wendy’s was slashing prices. “In other words, cheap food induced people to eat more. These bargain deals lead people to buy more of the product which lead to weight gain. Bargain seeking Americans looked for the cheapest and biggest deals these companies had to offer. You would think if people know whats in the food, and the health effects they wouldn’t eat anymore but as we know today this isn’t true. These companies put their business next to school’s on purpose to get kids to go before and after school. Do you really think the parents…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Americas Obesity

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The McDonald's Corporation wants to be everywhere that children are. The number of obese children has more than doubled since 1980. Many people blame the fast food industry for making the people of America fat. Most of the people in America blames the companies for selling their unhealthy food, advertising and promoting their food to young children, and creating super sized servings. Having said that, there are people who believe that it is the person's fault for being an unhealthy and obese person. Weintraub's article “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home”, argues that America shouldn't be blaming the fast food industry or the government, but instead the parents. Weintraub explains how it's the parent's responsibility for their own child's health and I agree with him.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fast Food History

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages

    (2) Throughout the past years, fast food has received a bad reputation, but nobody is forced to eat it (Thank Your Body) (5) When Americans, who eat out every day at fast food places, on average eat an extra 200 calories per day, which adds up to 200 pounds per year. , (4) Averaging, an American spends approximately 110 dollars on burgers alone per year. 7% of the population of America eats McDonald’s daily, although 33% of children eat fast food daily. (3) Currently, the revenue of the massive industry is 191.03 billion dollars a year, and there are 232,611 establishments. (Harvard…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zinczenko agrees with this statement, when he writes attaining to labels on fast food being misleading “ For example, one company’s Web lists its chicken salad as containing 150 calories; the almonds and noodles that come with it (an additional 190 calories are listed separately. Add a serving of the 280-calorie dressing, and you’ve got a healthy lunch alternative that comes in at 620 calories. But that’s not all. Read the small print on the back of the dressing packet and you’ll realize it actually contains 2.5 servings. If you pour what you’ve been served, you’re suddenly up around 1040 calories, which is half of the government’s recommended daily calorie intake”. Basically, Zinczenko is saying that fast food companies are not telling the whole story. Advertising is another big influence on America’s obesity epidemic McDonalds and Burger king alone spent 1 billion dollars in advertising just to get there product seen. From my own experience in fast food commercials they show a perfectly constructed sandwich and fries. When you actually receive the product fries are thrown in the bag and a patty is just slapped on the buns. This false image of a perfect sandwich is never seen in person but always on billboards and T.V. That is not all, when targeting young adolescence fast food companies use cartoon characters, toys and other items that have a powerful influence…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Wendy's Chili Costing

    • 917 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1. Does the cost of chili vary with the seasons? If so, should the price vary accordingly? Explain.…

    • 917 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays