Book Review : Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser***** Crikey! As if I wasn't all that keen on fast food in the first place, although I do enjoy KFC. After reading this though, you'll never want to eat another mass market fast food meal again. Is it the health risks that Schlosser details ? Well I think most of us know the risks of fast food, although I was surprised to learn that McDonald's Chicken McNuggets contain more fat and salt than a Big Mac, and this in a meal aimed at children. McDonald's are now advertising a healthier McNugget, yes, but healthier compared to what ? The really appalling stuff that Schlosser brings to light are the appalling conditions under which fast food employees have to work, and the even worse conditions which their major suppliers impose upon their workers, and lastly the damage being done to the farming industries. The industries' leaders were caught admitting that the wanted an annual staff turnover of 80%+, all the better to avoid holiday pay and health insurance. The big companies have all adopted a highly aggressive anti-union stance, opposed all manor of legal improvements to working conditions and operated various, dubious working practices. One such highlighted in the UK recently was the practice of requiring a worker to be on site at a certain time, but only starting to pay them when it got busy. Vegetarians may quake/retch after reading the chapter 'Why The Fries Taste So Good', well, in some cases, it's because they had beef in them. I'm not kidding. If you think your job is crap, just read about the conditions endured in the meat packing factories that supply the big burger chains, the terrible injuries and almost complete lack of health care. Schlosser's book has been attacked by all the big fast food companies, and he includes in this updated version many comments made by those people, he also notes however, that not one factual point that he claims in the book has been legally challenged by any of the companies he writes about, and we all know just how litigious these companies can be. Schlosser makes a good point when he says that all the problems he points out could be solved by the companies if they so wished, they have such vast purchasing power that any condition they imposed would be followed by their suppliers, or risk losing their biggest, and often sole, customer. It's just a shame that Fast Food Nation is probably preaching to the converted, the poor souls who think they are giving their kids a treat by hauling them down to McDonalds/Burger King etc. are, most likely, not going to be reading this well researched, vastly informative work. If you are at all interested in what you, or your children, are eating, and the effect this has on the world around you, you really should read this book.