Fast Food Nation: Topics for Further Study

As you read excerpts from Fast Food Nation and view Food, Inc., you will be expected to investigate further and become one of our resident experts on one of the following topics:

Kids as consumers (see p. 41 . . .)

Fast food in the schools (see p. 51 . . .)

Workers in the fast food industry (see p. 59 . . )

Fast food franchisees: free enterprise with federal loans (see p. 98 . . .)

Potato farmers and the fast food industry (see p. 116 . . .)

The flavor industry (see p. 119 . . .)

The beef industry and the fast food industry (see p. 133 . . .)

The poultry industry and the fast food industry (see p. 139 . . .)

Slaughterhouses (see p. 152 . . .)

Migrant workers and the meatpacking industry (see p. 160 . . .)

Working conditions and the meatpacking industry (see p. 169 . . .)

Meat and public health (see p. 193 . . .)

Fast food across the globe (see p. 225 . . .)

Fast food and obesity (see p. 239 . . .)

Critics of fast food (see p. 243 . . .)

Mad cow disease (see p. 271 . . .)

Politicians / political parties and the fast food / meatpacking industries (see p. 277...)

McDonalds and vegetarians (see p. 278 . . .)

McDonalds and an improved public image (see p. 282 . . .)

Meatpacking industry in Texas (see p. 283 . . .)

 “Organic” meat and produce

“Sustainable” farming and ranching

More possible topics available on the Wikispace

In the beginning, I want you to post links pertaining to your topic, a short excerpt from each site and annotations for those links briefly summarizing the type of information found on them and why you think the information they provide is interesting or important. I want to see that you've read and thought about the importance of the information on the site.

Also, I want you to comment on the blog posts of your classmates. Two per assignment.

For example:
Topic: Mad Cow Disease

Mad Cow Case Found in California

The USDA has confirmed that a case of mad cow disease was found in a California dairy cow. It is the fourth case of mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), found in U.S. cattle since the first in December 2003.

I find it really disturbing that there is a case of Mad Cow found in America.  What's even more disturbing is that the first case of Mad Cow in the U.S. was found in 2003, and I didn't know about it. If this gets into the food chain people can die.  Do you eat beef? Do you know where it comes from? Do you know that it's safe to eat? How much do I trust that the USDA is keeping my food safe? Isn't it more likely that they are protecting the interests of big agriculture? This is scary. I think I need to pay more attention to where my beef is coming from.

This link is good because it has a lot of links to other current stories on this topic.

BSE or Mad Cow Disease 

BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unusual transmissible agent called a prion...

What is mad cow disease? This site is part of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) site; therefore, I feel it has reliable information on the disease. However, it is a little too technical.  I'll keep looking for a site that is easier to understand.