It seems to me that there is alot of hype surrounding this new movie fast food nation. So much of this hype seems to be stemming from one radical group, PETA. This organization will stop at nothing to end animal agriculture. They pull stunts to use as propaganda. In this case, PETA has chosen to use Hollywood to spread vegetarianism across this great Nation. PETA distributed an alert announcing the creation of its special “Fast Food Nation” page on GoVeg.com. The page includes an interview with Richard Linklater, a behind-the-scenes look at the movie, a description of the movie, a link to a feature article on Eric Schlosser’s book “Chew on This” and a link to an interactive game to promote the movie. I visited this page, and it not only disturbed me but made me chuckle as well. The game consisted of crawling up a ladder and hitting parts of a burger down to the bottom. If you hit one of the "adorable pigs" you either caught ecoli, killed an animal, or had a death by heart disease. Does this seem like fact or fiction to you?
Let's figure out what's fact and what is fiction from this website.
Fiction: Ecoli comes from contaminated meat at fast food restaurants.
Fact: Ecoli comes from how the meat is cooked. Organizations like BAC, HAACP, NCBA, and USDA promote food safety guidelines. Its important to cook meat to 140-160 degrees farenheit. This kills bacteria and eliminates the risk of ecoli. Fast food restaurants have to follow health guidelines and regulations to ensure the safety of meat products.
Fiction: Eating cheeseburgers causes obesity. People should eliminate meat from their diets.
Fact: When going to a fast food restaurant, it is common to order a cheeseburger. Beef is a great way to get your daily needs if zinc, iron, and protein. Beef is nutrient dense. It provides about 6-8 times the nutrients compared to a skinless chicken breast, while providing about the same amout of fat as poultry. Its not the burger that causes obesity, its all the extras. Does one ever think about the large soda, large fries, and maybe a pie to go along with the burger? These calories add up. I don't fault the fast food industry. I fault people who don't make conscious decisions towards better health. The obesity epidemic can be blamed on poor food choices by individuals. Beef is a smart choice for a healthy diet.
Fiction:PETA just wants to save the animals.
Fact: This movie is supported by PETA, an organization that films and creates harmful images to animals that are far from reality. Farmers and ranchers like myself use good animal husbandry practices to ensure the wellbeing of our livestock. The cattle I feed are my business, my livlihood, and my friends. They provide the essentials of life to others, and I'm proud to help feed the world. PETA members can't save animals by spreading lies and being vegetarians. Byproducts of livestock are all around us. From one beef cow we can get insulin for diabetics, deoderants, crayons, film, leather clothing and boots, and even stearic acid for our tires. No matter where you go or what you do, agriculture touches our lives.
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