Fast Food Nation

Fast Food Nation could be considered part of a larger conversation on such topics as food safety, the industrialization of food, agribusiness, and questionable marketing techniques. Schlosser mentions some of the works that are part of this conversation, including Marion Nestle’s Food Politics (2002), Morgan Spurlock’s film Supersize Me (2004), and Raj Patel’s Stuffed and Starved (2008). Schlosser references Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) often in the book, and in some ways, his own text is influenced by Sinclair’s brand of muckraking journalism, in which the writer exposes behind-the-scenes practices of powerful entities. Often, the purpose behind the exposé is to spark public outcry, which in turn may lead to change.

As for Schlosser’s own work, Fast Food Nation is not his only text that attempts to shine a brighter light into lesser-known aspects of powerful industries. Reefer Madness (2003), which examines the underbelly of the marijuana trade, and Command and Control (2013), which investigates the development of nuclear weapons and the danger they pose, are two other works in which his investigative skills are on display.

Fast Food Nation makes frequent ethical appeals to the reader. While Schlosser generally tries to maintain a detached and objective