America is called a fast food country due to its strong fast food habits. Americans spend more money on fast food than on education, new cars and computer software buying. 200 million of Americans visit fast food restaurants weekly. Nearly 90 percents of American children visit McDonald's every month. Among the most popular American fast food products are hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and French fries. Chicken fast food has also gained a great popularity and is associated with such fast food companies as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dairy Queen.
Among the non-alcoholic drinks Coca-cola is the most popular. It is astonishing but it was introduced as a medicine firstly, made by a druggist from Atlanta. The medicine was not a success and, in 1892, it was sold as a soft drink already. After the World War II, Coca Cola spread its popularity outside America.
It is also impossible to imagine American fast food industry without popcorn, which was introduced in 1945.
Average American consumes four French fries and three hamburgers weekly, most often paying no attention to the food content. Nevertheless, a burger contains the meat from hundreds of cows, which increases the risk of various diseases dramatically.
The problem is even not in burgers and fries as in the significant influence of American fast food on every aspect of culture and the transformation of American landscapes, economy and workforce. One out of eight American workers is employed by McDonald's company; 3, 5 million of American fast food workers are engaged in fast food industry. American fast food companies are also blamed for exerting unhealthy influence on children. McDonald's Ronald McDonald is recognized by 96 percent of American children. No wonder because it has become a usual situation today when children buy fast food meal at the campus. Fast food companies are also very persistent and active in displaying ads and banners at schools and colleges. Statistic shows that about 15 percent of American schoolchildren suffer from obesity and diabetes. It is not surprising, taking into consideration the fact that 35 percent of them visit fast food restaurants every day.
Government is required to raise the standards of food quality in school cafeterias and prohibit the advertising of the unhealthy food. All those facts require in-depth study and close control of American fast food industry to minimize the negative influence on all the spheres of life. It is also important to change public opinion about corporate behavior. But the remaining problem is how to find a substitution for a fast food meal, which would be affordable and popular enough to press the unhealthy food. Taking into account the price of healthy alternative, the problem seems to be even more complicated. Low-income people just will not be able to afford it.
Today, the United States is the leading country in the world, so are its rates of obesity and other fast-food related diseases. The improvement of the American diet is seems to be a major step in the problem's solution.