Disturbing Facts about Fast Food...=0

• Nearly 27 million Americans eat at McDonald's—per day.

• Every month, approximately nine out of 10 American children visit a McDonald's restaurant.

• In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food. In 2006, the spending rose to nearly $142 billion.

• Proportionally, hash browns have more fat and calories than a cheeseburger or Big Mac.

• McDonald's is Brazil’s largest employer.

• When McDonald's opened an outlet in Kuwait shortly after the end of the Gulf War, the line of cars waiting to eat there was seven miles long

• Burger King’s Double Whopper with cheese contains 923 calories. A man would need to walk for about nine miles to burn it off. Adding french fries and a large cola brings the total calories to an amazing 1,500 calories (2/3 of an adult man’s recommended daily caloric intake).

• French fries are the single most popular fast food in America. In 1970, french fries surpassed regular potato sales in the United States. In 2004, Americans ate 7.5 billion pounds of frozen french fries.

• McDonald's is the largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes and the second largest purchaser of chicken in the world. Its annual orders for french fries constitute 7.5% of America’s entire potato crop.

• McDonald's is one of the largest owners of real estate in the world and it earns the majority of its profits from collecting rent, not from selling food.

• By the end of the twentieth century, one out of eight American workers had at some time been employed by McDonald's and 96% of Americans had visited McDonald's at least once. It was also serving an estimated 22 million Americans every day and even more abroad.

• High-fructose corn syrup (which tricks your body into wanting to eat more and to store more fat) first appeared in 1967, and the average American now consumes 63 pounds of it a year. It is ubiquitous in fast foods.

• A McDonald’s’ corn muffin has more calories than a glazed donut. A small packet of Wendy’s honey mustard dressing has 280 calories.

• Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million “tater tots” a year. To burn off one serving (3 oz) of tater tots would take about 67 minutes of walking.