Top 5 Unappetizing Fast Food Facts
You know you probably shouldn't, but it's delicious, easy, and everywhere. But mostly it's just easy and everywhere. Welcome to Watchmojo's Top 5 Facts. In this installment, we're looking at five fascinating facts about the fast food industry that you've probably never, despite the fact the industry is a perennial punching bag for the media. Most of the research we found is centered on fast food consumption in the United States, so the information in these facts is also focused on the US.
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Top 5 Unappetizing Fast Food Facts
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You know you probably shouldn’t, but it's delicious, easy, and everywhere. But mostly it’s just easy and everywhere. Welcome to Watchmojo's Top 5 Facts. In this installment, we're looking at five fascinating facts about the fast food industry that you’ve probably never, despite the fact the industry is a perennial punching bag for the media. Most of the research we found is centered on fast food consumption in the United States, so the information in these facts is also focused on the US.
#5: Eating at a "Proper" Restaurant Might Be Just as Bad For You
Researchers from the University of Illinois have found that food from full-service restaurants is often loaded with more cholesterol and sodium than fast foods. Those happen to be two nutrients that Americans already consume too much of, even at home, and high levels of which have been linked to heart disease. However, the researchers also found that food from full-service restaurants tends to be higher in certain beneficial nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids. At least one study has found a link between higher rates of depression and regular consumption of fast food, while others have found a link between depression and a lack of omega-3s, which are severely lacking in fast foods. Any way you slice it, consider eating in more often. Unless you’re a terrible cook.
#4: Fast Food Might Not Be Making Kids Fat After All
For years, the common belief was that fast food equals a little chubby kid. But new research suggests otherwise. A study at the University of North Carolina has discovered that fast food is only a symptom of a deeper problem that actually begins at home with poor dietary choices, like high sugar and low vegetable intake. An experimental ban on fast food in L.A. failed to produce results in lowering obesity, and an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Paediatrics claims that fast food consumption in children is actually on the decline. No one is saying that eating fast food is part of the solution, but maybe it's time we stop pointing all the fingers at McDonald's and start feeding little Timmy an apple or two.
#3: It's Sometimes As Hard to Get A Job At McDonald's As It Is to Get Into Harvard
“Flipping burgers,” for many, is basically shorthand for “achieving nothing with your life.” But even entry level positions can be hard to come by these days. In 2011, McDonald’s had a national hiring day. They hired only 6.2% of the one million people who applied. That same year, Harvard University, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, accepted 7% of their applicants. Of course it takes more actual effort to get into Harvard, and it’s probably a little easier to get hired at Mickey D’s under regular circumstances, but it’s not the only time unskilled entry-level positions have been tough to get. In 2013, for instance, Walmart opened a new store in Washington DC and hired less than 3% of applicants.
#2: Restaurants Can Afford to Pay a Living Wage
Top 10 Greatest Fast Food Restaurants of All Time
For at least 3 years, fast food workers around the world have been staging sporadic protests and strikes for higher wages, with US workers aiming to receive $15 an hour for their services, arguing that earning their current wage of $7.25 per hour means working full time and still living in poverty. Economists from the University of Massachusetts recently crunched the numbers and discovered that if it was spread it out over a few years, the fast food industry could easily absorb the cost of this wage increase through the resulting turnover reductions and a 3% price increase. However, we'll most likely be using automated machines long before we see these employees get a raise.
#1: Fast Food Logos Are Designed to Make You Eat More
Notice anything similar about these logos? Look at their colors. Red and yellow feature prominently or exclusively in all of them. This is because that color combo makes you eat more without even realizing it. Yellow stimulates appetite partly because the colour triggers a release of serotonin in your brain, the chemical responsible for happiness. Red has been shown in various experiments to lead to faster and more forceful decisions. So when you see a red and yellow fast food sign. Don’t worry about what you want for dinner. Your brain has already made the decision for you. Thanks, brain. So what’s your favorite fast food combo? And would you rather buy it from a touchscreen than someone who can afford to feed their family? For more surprisingly delicious Top 10s and working poor Top 5s, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.
