Fast Food Nation

“This is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made.”

This is Schlosser’s statement of purpose for his book. He mentions later that he intended to remain objective and present all sides of particular issues fairly.

“On any given day in the United States about one-quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant.”

One of the many statistics that Schlosser provides in the Introduction, this fact illustrates the significant impact fast food has on daily life in the United States. It also helps explain the enormous power of the fast food industry because a large segment of the population supports it with their regular purchases.

“Federal agencies created to protect workers and consumers too often behaved like branch offices of the companies that were supposed to be regulated.”

Schlosser implies here that government agencies that are tasked with protecting citizens have been captured and instead perform as protective shields for giant corporate interests, in this case the fast food industry. This statement sets the stage for his development of the theme of Corporate Profit Versus Social Responsibility.