Fast Food Facts...the good, the bad and the ugly . In the United States, the food industry spendsmore than *33 billion a year to advertise products that are mostly loaded with fat, salt and sugar. Every month, more than 90 percent of the children in theUnited States eat at McDonalds. The American Cancer Institute spends *1 million per year to encourage people to eat fruits and vegetables. Over the past twenty-five years, American researchers have found an increase in fast-food commercials during childrens television programming with many of these commercials emphasizing larger portions. According to the Canadian Pediatric Society, most food advertising on childrens TV shows is for fast foods, soft drinks, candy and pre-sweetened cereals, while commercials for healthy food make up only 4 percent of thoseshown. During the 1950s, the typical soft drink order at a fast food restaurant contained about eight ounces of soda. Today, a child order of Coke atMcDonalds is twelve ounces, and a large Coke is thirty-two ounces, (and about 310 calories!) Fast food companies make higher profits on soft drinks than on other food products. McDonalds is the largest owner of private playgrounds in North America. In 1997, Americans spent over*54 billion on soft drinks. Twelve to nineteen year old boys drink an average of 868 cans of pop per year. Girls drink about one-fourth less, about 651 per year. A super-sized order of McDonalds fries contain 610 calories and 29 grams of fat. Other brands arent much better: a king-sized order of Burger Kings fries packs 590 calories and 30 grams of fat. Per ounce, Chicken McNuggets contain twice as much fat as hamburger. In the US, obesity is second only to smoking as a cause of death. In Canada, 46 percent of adults are overweight or obese. Over the past twenty years, obesity ratesfor Canadian children have tripled. The American artificial flavor industry, the industry thats behind the great taste of much of the snack food we consume, has annual revenues of approximately *1.4 billion. And speaking of artificial flavoring, a typical strawberry milkshake contains approximately fifty artificial ingredients to create that great strawberry taste. I suggest you read Fast Food Nation, a most informative book by Eric Schlosser, and you will never look at the fast food industry quite the same again. to your good health,