Book chapter
Fast food
Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society, pp 172-174
05 Aug 2025
Abstract
Fast food, called QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) in the food industry, is a category of restaurant known for its affordability, quick service, and family-friendliness. These restaurants have been widely criticized for their suboptimal practices from nutritional, sustainability and labour perspectives. While many bemoan the rise of the fast food industry globally, the phenomenon of serving fast foods goes back millennia. This entry considers the problems and challenges of present-day fast food, including health, labour and supply chain sustainability as well as the 'slow food' counter-movement. It also showcases some of the positives, such as the new SNAP Restaurant Meals programme in the US, a hospitable environment for entry-level workers, and low barriers to entry for franchisees who might otherwise struggle to own a business.
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Details
- Title
- Fast food
- Creators
- Jonathan Deutsch
- Publication Details
- Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society, pp 172-174
- Series
- Elgar Encyclopedias in the Social Sciences series
- Publisher
- Edward Elgar Publishing; Cheltenham, UK
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Health Sciences
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105019906066
- Other Identifier
- 991022084855204721