Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food

I read Fast Food Nation so I was happy to see an edition for kids. My son found this book a real eye-opener and it's given him some real food for thought about what is healthy. He's also developed quite a social conscience from reading this. He now thinks about the people and countries behind what he's buying, how it effects us economically/globally and humane choices for domestic animals that we consume. He now considers how big corporations are marketing him. He's learned a lot more than me nagging at him about healthy choices and corporate gimmicks! It even got him making better food choices about the junk that his school serves and at home he's actually eliminated some junky food. I think this should be required reading for every family with kids entering that pre-teen age and beyond. It's a great book for discussing family choices and opening up a real thought about social and health concerns. Don't be surprised if reading this may create a real change in your child's atitude toward some things. For a younger child this book may be too factual and they may not be able to balance the information with logical reasoning (e.g. they would refuse to eat something that is necessary for their health.) This book has really helped us make good choices about what we want to spend our money on and how healthy it is for us.

Adult or children, it a must read! This book is not condemning or criminalizing food; rather it brings tonight the mindset & facts behind fast food & industries alike. It will alter your concept of eating processed foods & who your use your $$$ to support.

"Chew on This" is essentially "Fast Food Nation" rewritten for young adults. Co-authored by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, this book takes a no-holds-barred look at the fast food industry and how it has affected our farms, our waistlines, and our lives. It includes pictures and stories that are sure to interest younger readers and make them question their eating habits. The authors begin with a brief history of the hamburger before moving on to how McDonald's grew from one restaurant into a worldwide franchise. And from there, how the fast food industry's demand for beef and chicken has completely changed the farming industry. Much of the focus is on McDonald's, which might seem extreme at some times, yet that franchise really was the impetus for many of the ways that fast food restaurants function today. The authors examine how processed foods are created, how too much fast food can negatively impact our bodies, how fast food workers are treated, and how our towns and cities have changed, all in the name of fast food. Some of the information is truly shocking, while other information is downright disheartening. "Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food" is an eye-opening read that should be required reading for its target audience. As someone who works in the education field, I see just how unhealthy school lunches can be and the extent of the unhealthy eating habits many students have. I hope that those who read this book will think twice before they visit another fast food restaurant.

Readers with a macabre sense of humor will absolutely LOVE this book. Even though Schlosser's intentions are far from humorous, I couldn't help laughing at the passages of "candy that tastes like barf" and "mountains of burning poop". As a teenager in the early 1980s, when I ate drumsticks and found any with broken bones, I'd torment my great-grandmother with taunts of "tortured chickens", based on a story which I'd once read in a popular tabloid magazine; therefore, it couldn't be true. However, after reading this book, I got a rude awakening: the prevailing method of slaughtering chickens was not just lurid tabloid sensationalism. Schlosser does an excellent job of creating almost surreal imagery through his descriptions of gigantic cattle feedlots, potato processing factories, flavor-sampling institutes, and the like, and he gives an interesting history of how all this came to be. In that respect, not that much has changed since "the Jungle" was published a century ago. Unfortunately, I still occasionally enjoy the flavor of McDonald's food once in a while... *sigh*

I possibly think that the reviewer who did the 2 star on this book totally missed that boat, he says that the prose seems to be "written for children to read". Bingo ... it IS INTENDED for the 9-13 year old audience. Fast Food Nation had a major impact on my life and changed the way my family ate, but it certainly was not somethig that my children would have understood or been interested in reading. Now with this important book, my daughter will also be able to understand why we should choose not to eat junk and fast food. Thank you Mr. Schlosser for caring enough about our younger generation to take on the fast food industry. I am sure they don't make it easy for you.

This book is nothing special but isn't bad

This book got my Teen daughter reading labels before buying a simple bag of chips or anything else she mindlessly bought before. Great Informative Factual but Fun Read for adults and for tween or teens!! Every few pages she would say 'oh my god!!" or "that's so gross!" Where the education system so lacks in teaching kids how important exercise and nutrition are in their lives, this book is a great fun interesting beginning of their journey into caring what goes into their body! And staying away from Fast Food!!

I'm going to review this for my 10-year-old son who chose to read it for a school book report project. Firstly, he's a strong reader but needs a lot of motivation (like a school assignment deadline). He enjoyed learning about the birth of fast food and how the industry works. I could go into what the book is about or what it does or does not include, but there are a lot of those already. I can tell you, there hasn't been any inquiries about stopping at McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant since he read this book.

Further alarming facts about the U.S. fast-food industry - recommended reading for all those who want to know about rubbish food and behaviours they should avoid at all costs.

Good book to know what you shouldn't be eating

A good examination of the fast food business and history. Read fast food nation next.

I ordered this book and Fast Food Nation at the same time and was disappointed to discover that some chapters were the same, word for word and many of the same ideas were re-presented. I guess it is ok to copy your own book and sell it as new material: if others do it is is illegal. I thought it was a sequel to FFN, not a recap. That said, the book is well researched and thought-provoking. My version came printed on cheap newprint, which I also did not like. Very thin papers where the ink smeared. Not the usual amazon quality.

Good read. An eye opener.