Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades?

Introduction: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

While it is commonly believed that the most harm fast foods can inflict is on the digestive system or perhaps cause stomach cramps, recent studies are revealing a surprising connection between the fast food industry and declining grades among teenagers in U.S. schools and colleges, suggesting that fast food chains are responsible for lower grades. One reason, as highlighted by Eric Schlosser in his remarkable book “Fast Food Nation,” is the nature of work provided to teenagers from poor or middle-class communities. These teenagers often fail to acquire tangible skills and find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of career-building. Schlosser comments on this growing trend, noting that “dropping out often seems tempting to sophomores who are working in the ‘real world,’ earning money, and being eagerly recruited by local fast-food chains, retail chains, and telemarketers” (Schlosser 33).

The issue is not only confined to the duties performed by these teenagers but is also linked to the hiring policies of fast food chains targeting this demographic. Another concern is the impact on children’s health as they become addicted to fast foods due to collaboration between some school chains and food outlets. These schools essentially act as advertising agents for these outlets, compelling children to purchase their products, leading to adverse health effects due to excessive consumption of chemicals. Schlosser addresses this in his book, and a student named Amy Ross also emphasizes this point in her paper titled “Nutrition and Its Effects on Academic Performance,” submitted to Northern Michigan University, where she highlights findings from various research studies.

Language:Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

Furthermore, the language used in fast-food marketing is contributing to lower grades by steering teenagers towards low-skilled jobs that do not demand much of their time. In essence, fast-food outlets are not only causing lower grades in schools and colleges by providing steady jobs to teenagers and collaborating with schools to offer harmful foods to children, but they are also undermining their educational skills and overall health.

Competition: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

As fast-food chains have automated their assembly-line processes, they are engaged in a race to make jobs simpler than ever before. Therefore, major fast-food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC have developed concise manuals, ranging from short pamphlets to extensive dictionaries. The primary goal of these clear and visually instructive manuals is to make the jobs remarkably easy, akin to child’s play. This approach ensures that the chains can easily find workers without investing significant time and resources in training (Schlosser 31 & 33).

In their study on the effects of fast-food chain jobs on students’ performance, Charles Hirschman and Irina Voloshin conducted extensive research, citing experts and analysts from various fields to demonstrate the harmful impacts of fast-food employment on academic performance. They assert, “Students employed in fast food-related occupations tend to work more hours per week and have lower hourly wages than students working in other occupations” (Hirschman & Voloshin). According to their findings, students often work extended hours due to family obligations or personal desires to afford life’s luxuries. Unfortunately, this results in them spending a significant amount of their valuable time working in fast-food outlets, diverting their attention away from career-building activities. Consequently, they lose interest in academic pursuits and fail to achieve good grades.

Future Game Plan: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

Another strategic move employed by fast-food corporations, as devised by their marketing divisions, is to establish brand loyalty among children, targeting the future consumer base. McDonald’s and Burger King, among others, have formed collaborations with various schools across different states. The terms of these collaborations involve schools promoting the brand’s sales on campus, allowing the fast-food chain to open an outlet within the school premises, and permitting the corporation to utilize the school campus for advertising and marketing its products to children. In return, the school receives discounts in the daily meal program, which they can adjust in their budget to address deficits in the annual school budget (Schlosser 72-78).

While it may appear unrelated to the academic performance of students, the reality suggests otherwise. The constant exposure to marketing content for these brands affects schoolchildren and teenagers, diverting them away from consuming organic foods. The consequence is an increase in various health issues, directly impacting academic performance as these students may struggle to sit for prolonged periods and focus on their studies. Additionally, these marketing tactics make the student community susceptible to the profit-oriented intentions of food corporations. Quoting a study from Yale University, Kelly Brownell underscores that both McDonald’s and Burger King engage in these unhealthy practices, leading to severe consequences. He emphasizes, “The nation is paying a terrible price. The industry has had time to prove itself trustworthy, and the government can look the other way only so long” (Brownell). This implies that the detrimental practices of fast-food outlets are wreaking havoc on the health of students, hindering them from adopting healthy habits. If they are not healthy, their ability to engage in academic pursuits is compromised, leading to lower grades and various physical and psychological issues.

Disturbing Issue: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

One of the most disturbing physical issues that has recently surfaced, as reported by Daily Mail journalist Luke Salkeld, is alarming due to its direct connection to studies and, ultimately, student grades. Quoting Professor Kelly Purtell of Ohio State University, Luke Salkeld reports on research investigating the impacts of fast food beyond obesity, revealing that students who consume products from Pizza Hut, Burger King, and KFC tend to perform poorly in science, math, and reading tests. Further studies indicate that this poor performance is associated with the low iron content in fast food products. Iron plays a crucial role in brain growth and function, and its deficiency can adversely affect verbal and spatial memory in children. Australian research has reached similar conclusions after testing fast foods on rats (Salkeld). Eric Schlosser echoes this in his book, “Fast Food Nation,” arguing that the fast-food industry, despite offering job security, fails to provide meaningful educational or working skills to students, enticing them into a deceptive path. They become mere machines engaged in “routinized work” on the assembly line, where they learn nothing valuable. Schools are meant to be places where students acquire not only educational skills but also traits like honesty, perseverance, teamwork, and loyalty through sports and activities. However, the allure of owning a car and covering other expenses often leads them to fast-food outlets, where they spend their precious time. This becomes a psychological trap, as working there results in fewer students participating in after-school sports and activities, failing to learn essential social and moral skills (Schlosser 33-35). Consequently, they not only face academic failure but also become dropouts, supplying a steady workforce to the fast-food industry throughout their lives. Additionally, they compromise their health, facing various physical and psychological issues. CNN’s Ben Tinker has highlighted the use of antibiotics in meat, damaging the health of fast-food enthusiasts. Quoting a report by Friends of the Earth, he mentions that when ranchers and owners use antibiotics for their animals, bacteria develop resistance, transferring to humans through food and causing diseases. This alarming situation could lead to children suffering from MRSA, as these bacteria become immune to all penicillin-related medicines. Tinker emphasizes the importance of FDA transparency in regulating antibiotic use on livestock to safeguard the future generation from diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Tinker).

Conclusion: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

In short, the fast food industry has not only transformed Americans’ eating habits but has also influenced the way they work, live, and interact with each other. This industry has given rise to a new culture of the fast-food generation, characterized by hyperactivity and a robotic lifestyle. This generation lacks an understanding of the value of acquiring life skills from educational institutions. They are caught up in auto and burger mania, disrupting their sleep patterns and hindering their ability to study comfortably. Consequently, these obsessions contribute to lower grades, eventual academic failure, and dropping out of college.

Fast food chains not only offer jobs but also provide food that adversely affects the health of students, leading to poor academic performance in various subjects. Fast food jobs, lacking in skill development, turn students into robotic workers with limited prospects for the future. This robotic force may shape the future generation of America, tasked with leading the nation in the coming years. Unfortunately, fast food outlets have extended their influence into schools through collaborations with school authorities, claiming to fund schools and address budget deficits. However, at the core of this issue are profit-driven corporations responsible for creating the problem. The responsibility to halt this disaster lies with the government, tasked with preventing these profit-centric chains from jeopardizing the future of the American public.

Works Cited: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

1. Brownwell, Kelly. ” Are Children Prey for Fast Food Companies?” The Atlantic. The Atlantic. 08 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 Sept. 2022.
2. Hirschman, Charles, and Irina Voloshin. “The Structure of Teenage Employment: Social Background and the Jobs Held by High School Seniors.” Research in social stratification and mobility 25.3 (2007): 189–203. PMC. Web. 23 Sept. 2022.
3. Ross, Amy. “Nutrition and Its Effects on Academic Performance.” Northern University of Michigan. 28 July 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2022.
4. Salkeld, Luke. ” Fast food IS bad for the brain as study shows children fed on it have poorer maths test scores.” The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. 21 Dec. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2022.
5. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. Penguin Books. 2002. ebook.
6. Tinker, Ben. ” Restaurant report card grades on antibiotics in meat supply.” The CNN. The CNN. 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2022.

Relevant Questions: Fast Food Chains Responsible for Lower Grades

1. How do fast food jobs contribute to lower academic performance among students, and what factors influence their decision to work in the fast-food industry?
2. In what ways do collaborations between fast food chains and schools impact students’ eating habits, health, and overall academic success?
3. What role does the culture of fast food consumption play in the decline of life skills, academic focus, and performance in the younger generation, and how can these negative impacts be mitigated?