McDonald - The Arthur Page Society

Charles Wilson, also produced the book, Chew on This, which duplicates the message of
Fast Food Nation specifically for the 11- to 15-year old audience. 88 Fast Food Nation
does not target McDonald’s specifically as did Super Size Me, and it covers a much wider
range of issues beyond nutrition and health. Both the book (published in 2001) and the
movie (released in November of 2006) present scathing attacks on the fast food industry.
The movie’s tag line states, “The truth is hard to swallow.” 89
Along with targeting fast food as the cause of the obesity epidemic, Schlosser
criticizes fast food chains’ marketing efforts to reel in susceptible youngsters. 90 The
movie has been released to critical acclaim, garnering Official Selection status at the
Cannes Film Festival in 2006. 91 A New York Times article called Fast Food Nation the
“most essential political film from an American director since Michael Moore’s
‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’” 92 Promotional materials for the movie label it “a groundbreaking
work of investigation and cultural history that may change the way America thinks about
the way it eats.” 93
The book version of Fast Food Nation geared toward children, Chew on This,
hopes to accomplish the same ends. The publisher states in a press release that:
Chew on This addresses some of the most serious issues affecting our society, and
its strong, fact-based narrative style, startling statistics, and eye-opening
photographs will keep readers turning the pages. The average American child
views forty thousand television commercials per year, almost half of which
promote junk food. There are roughly nine million overweight or obese children
in America and there's no reason to think that this number is shrinking. 94
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