French Fry Controversy

Have you ever been walking down an isle at the grocery store and stopped to buy a product, but chose its competing product instead, simple because it had the word “natural” on the label? Well that is the topic Eric Schlosser constructed his article around in Why McDonald’s French Fries Taste So Good. The reason Schlosser chose McDonald’s French fries is because everyone has tasted them and knows how good they do taste. Schlosser’s intention in writing this article was to inform Americans what they are putting into their bodies and the true difference between artificial and natural flavor. This is the reason America needs to wake up, stop being so passive, and start realizing what goes into the products we consume daily.
In this article, Schlosser …show more content…
Most people would say the obvious better choice would be natural flavoring. Well in the article Schlosser explains why that is completely incorrect. The biggest difference between the two is the process in which they are made, which is a very small difference. The chemical mixtures that make up these artificial and natural flavors, believe it or not, are made in the exact same factories! Not only are they produced in the same factories, but they are also made up of most of the same chemicals. The crazy thing is when the company adds the word “natural” on the label, the public looks at it as the healthier choice because society has tricked itself into thinking that natural equals healthier. Consequently, the company can price the natural flavored product at a higher price even though there are no health differences between the two. Another thing Schlosser mentions in his article is his encounter with one of the processing labs in which the flavors are manufactured. He mentions seeing giant tubes filled with exotic colored chemicals which were being pumped into the flavor chamber. After reading of his experience I began to wonder how many foreign chemicals I had unknowingly introduced to my