Download Fast Food - American Society of Exercise Physiologists

Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline
An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862
Vol 10 No 5 May 2007
Fast Food: One Small Bite for Man, One Giant Problem for Mankind
Jonathan N. Mike, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Doctorate Student, Exercise Physiology
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year.
-- Franklin Pierce Adams
National and Global Problem
Over the last 30 years the fast food industry has become part of just about every facet of
American society. Imagine, an industry that originated with hot dog and hamburger
stands in southern California has now stretched far and wide across the globe. Fast food
is ubiquitous in nature, and essentially unavoidable. Not only served at restaurants and
drive-through chains, but sporting events, airports, elementary and high schools, and
colleges and universities, cruise ships, trains, planes, K-marts, Wal-Marts, gas stations
and, most recently, hospitals.
Consumers spent in the United States about $110 billion on fast food in 2000, which is an
increase from $6 billion in 1970. The National Restaurant Association [1] is expected to
reach record sales of $537 billion in 2007 — a solid 5.0 percent increase over 2006 sales.
The nation's 935,000 restaurant-and-foodservice outlets will employ 12.8 million
individuals, and add 2 million new career and employment opportunities in the next
decade. As Americans spend 47.9 percent of their food budget in restaurants, the industry
is heading into 2007 as an economic powerhouse and an essential part of Americans'
lifestyle. [1]
Most unfortunately, Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher
education, personal computers, computer software, and new cars. Shockingly, Americans
spend more on fast food than on movies, books, newspapers, magazines, videos, and
music combined. Sadly, 96% of American schoolchildren can identify Ronald
McDonald, more than recognize the crucifix.
An emerging pattern of childhood indoctrination, poor nutrition, inadequate exercise, and
skyrocketing obesity rates are sweeping this nation like a plague. Purchasing fast food
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has become a regular habitual practice that is now taken for granted, much like many
tasks of daily living, which raises several important questions:
1. Do you ever stop and think how or why this phenomenon exits?
2. Do you ever wonder how this “great food” is made?
3. What is in the mix of that strawberry milkshake you love?
Answers to these questions might help individuals in society reflect on their consumption
of fast food. Until members of society, singly and collectively, get involved, perhaps, it
is time for the fast food industry and other full service chains and franchises to step up to
the plate and help combat the healthcare issues that Americans face. If not, it may be just
a matter of time before legal restraints are placed on the industry. In fact, recently,
several states have tried to ban the use of “trans fats” in many segments of the foods
industry [2-5]. Not only within fast food, but with local or private established as well.
Considering the global health problem millions of people face in the United States, many
still choose to indulge themselves with “super-size” fries and drinks. They place
themselves at the mercy of considerable health and social costs. No wonder educators
and researchers are asking themselves: “Why blame the fast food companies for the
reckless lifestyle when people choose what to eat?” The fast food chains do not force
people to eat their food. Why, then, do people chose a life with the potential for
increased sickness and self-destructive addiction over one of health and common sense?
The answer probably is multifaceted and very complex, but one reason seems obvious.
The effect of mass-media indoctrination is an obvious factor. So, who is to blame? Well,
of course McDonald’s headquarters will deny any and all responsibility. They are in the
business of making the “Mc” Billions.
Fact – A burger and fries became the quintessential American Meal in the 1950s,
thanks to promotional efforts. Now, the typical American consumes
approximately three hamburgers and four orders of fries every week [6].
The Mixing Bag
There are many reasons people purchase fast food. Aside from being inexpensive and
convenient, it has carefully been designed to taste good. All of the value meal’s, and free
refills of soda give a distorted view of how much fast food actually costs. However, the
real price never appears on the menu. The American flavor industry now has annual
revenues of about $1.4 billion. Approximately 10,000 new processed-food products are
introduced every year in the United States. Almost all of them require flavor additives,
and about nine out of ten of these products fail.
An individuals’ food preference, like elements of personality, are formed during the first
few years of life, through a process of socialization. Although the human sense of smell
is still not fully understood, it is greatly affected by psychological factors and
expectations. Although aroma and memory are well beyond the scope of this article, they
are embedded throughout life. And, many times return, without knowing why. It is
human nature to do the things that work, and to continue to eat what taste good. These
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"comfort foods" become a source of pleasure and reassurance – a fact that fast-food
chains use to their advantage.
The federal Food and Drug Administration [7] does not require companies to disclose the
ingredients of their color or flavor additives so long as all the chemicals in them are
considered by the agency to be GRAS ("generally recognized as safe"). This enables
companies to maintain the secrecy of their formulas. It also hides the fact that flavor
compounds often contain more ingredients than the foods to which they give taste. The
phrase "artificial strawberry flavor" gives vague meaning to the manufacturing skill used
to create these foods.
A typical artificial strawberry milk shake found at many fast food chains is a cocktail of
more than 50 chemicals, and contains the following ingredients:
amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl
acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate,
cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone,
ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate,
ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate,
heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone,
isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate,
methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint
essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl
alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent.
Although flavors usually arise from a mixture of many different volatile chemicals, often
a single compound supplies the dominant aroma. Smelled alone, that chemical provides
an unmistakable sense of the food (see table). For example, Ethyl-2-methyl butyrate,
smells just like an apple. Many of today's highly processed foods offer a blank palette.
Meaning, whatever chemicals are added to them will give them specific tastes. Adding
methyl-2-pyridyl ketone makes something taste like popcorn. Adding ethyl-3-hydroxy
butanoate makes it taste like marshmallow. The possibilities are now almost limitless.
Without affecting appearance or nutritional value, processed foods could be made with
aroma chemicals such as hexanal (the smell of freshly cut grass) or 3-methyl butanoic
acid (the smell of body odor).
Here is an idea: Why don’t fast food chains buy frozen strawberries, and other
frozen fruits to use as Milkshakes or Smoothies?
For the past twenty years food processors have tried hard to use only "natural flavors" in
their products. According to the FDA [7], these must be derived entirely from natural
sources -- from herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, yeast, bark, roots, and so
forth. Consumers prefer to see natural flavors on a label, out of a belief that they are more
healthful. Distinctions between artificial and natural flavors can be arbitrary and
somewhat absurd, based more on how the flavor has been made than on what it actually
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contains.
Flavor, in and of itself, is defined as a substance that gives another substance flavor,
altering the characteristics of the solute, causing it to become sweet, sour, tangy, etc [8].
"A natural flavor," is a flavor that's been derived with an out-of-date technology. Natural
and artificial flavors sometimes contain exactly the same chemicals, produced through
different methods. Amyl acetate, for example, provides the dominant note of banana
flavor. When it is distilled from bananas with a solvent, amyl acetate is a natural flavor.
When it is produced by mixing vinegar with amyl alcohol and adding sulfuric acid as a
catalyst, amyl acetate is an artificial flavor. Either way it smells and tastes the same.
"Natural flavor" is now listed among the ingredients of everything from Health Valley
Blueberry Granola Bars to Taco Bell Hot Taco Sauce.
Interestingly, a natural flavor is not necessarily more healthful or purer than an artificial
one. Nevertheless, it is legally considered an artificial flavor and sells at a much lower
price. Natural and artificial flavors are now manufactured at the same chemical plants,
places that few people would associate with Mother Nature.
Table: Chemicals with Associated tastes [8]
Chemical
Odor
Diacetyl
Buttery
Isoamyl acetate
Banana
Cinnamic aldehyde
Cinnamon
Ethyl propionate
Fruity
Limonene
Orange
Ethyl-(E, Z)-2,4-decadienoate Pear
Allyl hexanoate
Pineapple
Ethyl maltol
Sugar, Cotton candy
Methyl salicylate
Wintergreen
Benzaldehyde
Bitter almond
One of the most widely used color additives is Cochineal extract (also known as carmine
or carminic acid). This additive is often hidden by the phrase "color added", which
violates a number of religious dietary restrictions, may cause allergic reactions in
susceptible people, and comes from an unusual source is made from the desiccated bodies
of female Dactylopius coccus Costa, a small insect harvested mainly in Peru and the
Canary Islands. The bug feeds on red cactus berries, and color from the berries
accumulates in the females and their un-hatched larvae. The insects are collected, dried,
and ground into a pigment. It takes about 70,000 of them to produce a pound of carmine,
which is used to make processed foods look pink, red, or purple. Dannon strawberry
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yogurt gets its color from carmine, and so do many frozen fruit bars, candies, and fruit
fillings, and Ocean Spray pink-grapefruit juice drink.
Today, it is mainly used as a fabric and cosmetics dye and as a natural food coloring, as
well as for oil paints, pigments and watercolors. When used as a food additive, the dye
must be labeled on packaging labels [9]. Sometimes carmine is labeled as E120. An
unknown percentage of people have been found to have allergies to carmine, ranging
from mild cases of hives to anaphylactic shock. Carmine has been found to cause asthma
in some people. Cochineal is one of the colors that the Hyperactive Children's Support
Group recommends be eliminated from the diet of hyperactive children. Natural carmine
dye used in food and cosmetics can render it unacceptable to strict vegetarian consumers,
and both Muslims and Jews consider carmine-containing food forbidden (haraam and
non-kosher) because the dye is extracted from insects.
Cochineal is one of the few water-soluble colorants that resist degradation with time. It is
one of the most light- and heat-stable and oxidation-resistant of all the natural colorants
and is even more stable than many synthetic food colors [10]. The water-soluble form is
used in alcoholic drinks with calcium carmine; the insoluble form is used in a wider
variety of products. Together with ammonium carmine they can be found in meat,
sausages, processed poultry products (meat products cannot be colored in the United
States unless they are labeled as such), surimi, marinades, alcoholic drinks, bakery
products and toppings, cookies, desserts, icings, pie fillings, jams, preserves, gelatin
desserts, juice beverages, varieties of cheddar cheese and other dairy products, sauces and
sweets. Cochineal gives Campari and other Italian apéritifs their color, too [9].
Cochineal is also used to color McDonalds Strawberry Shakes. The average human
consumes one to two drops of carminic acid each year with food [10].
Carmine is one of the very few pigments considered safe enough for use in eye cosmetics
[11]. A significant proportion of the insoluble carmine pigment produced is used in the
cosmetics industry for hair- and skin-care products, lipsticks, face powders, rouges, and
blushes [10].
A bright red dye and the stain carmine used in microbiology are often made from the
carmine extract, as well [11]. Interestingly, the pharmaceutical industry uses cochineal to
color pills and ointments [12]. So, what are you hungry for?
Trans-Fat 101
If you are in any way health conscience, having basic familiarity about trans fat might
enhance your ability to engage in effective decisions when reading food labels.
Therefore, it is imperative to underline key issues. Trans fats occur in small quantities,
usually in meat and dairy products from ruminants. Today, most trans fats are industrially
created as a by-product of partially hydrogenation of plant oils, which was developed in
the early 1900’s and first introduced as Crisco Oil in 1911. Partial hydrogenation alters
the molecular structure of the fat, increasing the melting point and decreasing rancidity
(unpleasant taste of smell), thereby reducing shelf life and decreasing refrigeration
requirements. However, during this process, a portion of the changed fat becomes a trans
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fat. Trans fat are neither required nor valuable for health, and consuming them increases
the risk for heart disease [13-14]. Therefore, it is recommended that intake be reduced to
limited amount [15].
Food containing artificial trans fats formed by partial hydrogenating plant fats may
contain up to 45% trans fat compared to total fat. Baking shortening typically contain
30% trans fats compared to total fat, while animal fats such butter and lard contain 3%
[16]. Fast Food chains routinely use different fats in various locations, and trans fat levels
in products vary substantially. As an example, an analysis of samples from McDonald’s
french fries collected in 2004 and 2005 found that fries served in New York City
contained twice the amount of trans fat as in Hungry, and 28 times more trans fat as in
Denmark (where they are restricted). Interestingly, at KFC, the sample was reversed with
Hungry’s product containing twice the trans fat of the NYC product. In the U.S., there is
variation as well, with fries in NYC containing 30% more trans fat than from Atlanta
(figure 1) [17].
Jumping on the BAN-Wagon!
Prior to 2006, U.S. consumers could not directly determine the quantity of trans fats in
various food products. This information could only be inferred from the ingredient list,
notably from the partially hydrogenated ingredients. However, this represents classic
deception because most people do not know how to interpret a food label beyond what is
actually printed. Unless you are an exercise physiologist or a registered dietician, or
involved with clinical work, how many people can decipher the food label?
On July 11, 2003, the FDA issued a regulation [18], obligating manufacturers to list trans
fat on the Nutrition facts panel of food and some dietary supplements [19]. This new
ruling mandated compliance by January 2006, although companies may petition by
January 1, 2008. The regulation allows trans fat levels of less than 0.5 grams per serving
to be labeled as 0 grams per serving. Unfortunately, “trans fat free” and “low trans fat”
were not approved. Again, deceiving the consumer is played out because someone eating
many servings of a product or eating multiple products over the course of the day can
consume a significant amount of TFs. The FDA [7] estimates by 2009, trans fat labeling
will have prevented from 600 to1200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250-500 deaths
each year. However, this is diminutive compared to the overall problem. But, it at least
officials are taking to right steps.
New York is the first large US city to strictly limit trans fat in restaurants. Restaurants
will be barred from using most frying and spreading fats containing level of TFs above
0.5g per serving by this July 2007, and will have to meet the same target in all other
foods by July 2008 [20].
Although by choice, not obligation, major food chains have begun to remove or reduce
the levels of TFs in their products. BanTransFats.com [21] filed a lawsuit in May 2003
against Kraft Foods to impose removal of TFs from the Oreo cookie. Despite the lawsuit
being withdrawn, Kraft agreed to search for a substitute for the TF in the Oreo.
Unfortunately, space does not allocate full coverage on all food chain trans fat
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controversies and reports. However, I can say that chains such as Wendy’s, McDonald’s
and J.M. Smucker Company are in the process of converting the use of TFs with healthier
alternative oils such as linolenic soybean oil. Notwithstanding, most fast food chains will
eventually be removing all TFs products, via government regulation, lawsuit or by
choice. However, consumers will most likely see significant nationwide changes during
2008 and beyond. So between now and then, please, hold the pickles!
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References
1.
2.
3.
4.
National Restaurant Association: www.restaurant.org/research
Shockman, L. (2005). "Trans fat: 'Zero' foods add up", Toledo Blade.
BanTransFats.com, Inc. Project Tiburon: America's First Trans Fat-Free City!!!
City of New York. (2005). Health department asks restaurateurs and food suppliers to
voluntarily make an oil change and eliminate artificial trans fat.
5. City of New York (2006). Health department proposes two changes to city's health code
for public comment.
6. Schlosser, E. (2003). Fast Food Nation. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York.
7. Federal Food and Drug Administration: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list
8. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor).
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Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). National Academies Press, 504.
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produced trans fat in popular fast foods. N Engl J Med. 13;354(15):1650-2)
18. Regulation: 21 CFR 101.9 (c)(2)(ii). Food and Drug Administration. (2003). 21 CFR Part
101. Food Labeling; Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling; Consumer Research to
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Statements; Final Rule and Proposed Rule. National Archives and Records
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Administration.
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21. Ban Trans Fats: bantransfat.com