The distribution of food includes food miles which in turn increases pollution which goes into the atmosphere and damages the environment. There is also wastage due to the packaging, damaged and uneaten foods due to transportation methods. There is also wastage through other methods which are harmful to the environment. A major cause of deforestation in the Southern U.S. is the fast food industry as paper is consumed and wasted through packaging (For example, KFC uses paper boxes to contain food). Due to reasons like this, the fast food industry is increasing in its demand for environmental sustainability, the ability to maintain the qualities that are valued in the physical environment. As environmental sustainability is desired, hints have shown that the fast food industry is attempting to account for the desire of people for healthier choices and greener products. Although people purchase ‘healthy’ options, many wonder whether the fast food chains are doing enough to protect the environment. The large affect of the fast food industry on the environment is summarised by Prince Charles through, “Fast food may appear to be cheap food and, in the literal sense it often is, but that is because huge social and environmental costs are being excluded from the calculations. Any analysis of the real cost would have to look at such things as the rise in food-borne illnesses, the advent of new pathogens, such as E.coli 0157, antibiotic resistance from the overuse of drugs in animal feed, extensive water pollution from intensive agricultural systems and many other factors. These costs are not reflected in the price of fast food.”
As the economy declines, the fast food industry continues to grow. Due to the economic downfall, people are choosing to go to fast food restaurants rather than going to more expensive options. This in turn results in the growth in the industry and provides many job opportunities. Economic impact is estimated to increase, however there are also challenges due to the increased food prices. “In the year ahead, the industry's sales are projected to continue to increase, with a total economic impact that exceeds $1.5 trillion, yet at the same time, the industry is experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the economic recession and elevated food prices." (Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association president and CEO). The transportation of the fast food also impacts the economy and adds to the concern of elevated food prices, as shipping foods is significantly more costly than locally grown produce.
It has been argued that as people are constantly surrounded by food, eating is no longer out of hunger but often for social reasons. For example, when friends go out, it is only natural to go out for a bite or a cup of coffee, and thus choosing fast food options. Busy lifestyles also means that the time available to spend in supermarkets and kitchens are limited and the convenience of fast foods becomes hard to resist. This idea of convenience food reduces the opportunity of cooking a nice meal together and sitting around a table and enjoying the meal together. The thoughts of Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of the Blue Hill restaurants in New York, on fast food raises a new point which is contrary to the respect for fast food, “At the checkout aisle, we're not paying the real cost of food. Whether you're an elitist or not, you're a human being and the real costs of your food are being paid in environmental costs and healthcare costs. And who pays when we have an obese nation? We all do. We just pay it under the radar. To call it elitist, I think, is really shortsighted” (Barber: 2007). Although fast food seems like a nice, quick and convenient option, it is not always welcoming as it sells unhealthy food, markets aggressively to children and undermines local and cultural values.
The Slow food movement originated in Italy in 1986 as an attempt to combat fast food through opposing the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the Spanish steps in Rome. This movement was founded by Carlo Petrini and declares that it maintains cultural cuisine and related plants and animals as well as farming within an ecoregion. Slow food aims to “…defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread taste education and connect producers…with co-producers…” Slow Food believes in the recognition of strong connection between enjoying good food and drink as well as saving the traditional grains, vegetables, fruits, animal breeds and food products which are continually disappearing due to the prevalence of convenience foods and industrial agribusiness. Slow Food seeks to protect our invaluable food heritage.
The products in the slow food movement are generally produced locally in community gardens and thus the retainment of nutritional content of the food is high. As little travel is involved, food miles are minimal and little pollution is released and the environment is not damaged. The slow food philosophy is to use resources which are produced in a “good, clean and fair” way, thus the use of dangerous pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers is minimal or non existent. The founder of the Slow Food Movement’s reasoning behind producing food that is “Good, clean and fair” is portrayed through, “The quest for slowness, which begins as a simple rebellion against the impoverishment of taste in our lives, makes it possible to rediscover taste. By living slowly, you understand other things, too; by slowing down in comparison to the world, you soon come into contact with what the world regards as its "dumps" of knowledge, which have been deemed slow and therefore marginalized. By exploring the "margins" of slowness, you encounter those pockets of supposedly "minor" culture that are alive in the memories of old people, typical of civilizations that have not yet become frantic—traditions that guide the vital work of good, clean, and fair producers and that are handed down after centuries of empiricism and practical skill” (Petrini: 2007).
The slow food movement also encourages local and small businesses. “Programs that emphasize community gardens, food education and local businesses bolster the local economy, keep money within the locality, develop knowledge about food and health, and begin to shape one's local and world view.” Through developing and encouraging local production chains, slow food reduces the global transfer of food and money, thus putting focus back on the local communities. As slow food encourages local communities, the focus is placed onto the people of the community. The slow food movement provides an opportunity for people to be able to cook together or sit together to have a meal in which they can chat rather than eat a meal without interaction with others. The slow food movement regards the consumption of fast food as a relatively meaningless act which prevents opportunities of socialising, thus it promotes the pleasure and enjoyment in food.
Although the advancement of the Fast Food industry has provided more and cheaper dining opportunities; it has come with the price of destroying the environment, economy, and small-town communities while protecting the consumers from the real costs of their convenient meals, both in terms of health and the diverse impact of large-scale food production and processing on workers, animals, and land. Therefore; it is hard to deny that the slow food movement, which is promoting the delight and gratification in food while protecting the environment and cultural heritage, is not preferred to the fast food industry.
