Showing posts with label Food Facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Facts. Show all posts

Fast Food Facts

Fast Food Facts


Check out some interesting fast food facts and learn more about the next burger you buy from McDonalds or KFC.
Read how the junk food industry works, how much consumers spend on it every year and also how fast food restaurants are slowly changing due to rapidly increasing obesity and public health problems.

  • Fast food (or junk food) is the name given to food that can be prepared and served quickly, often served at basic restaurants or in packaged form for convenient takeaway/takeout. It is typically inexpensive to buy but unhealthy to eat.
  • Popular forms of fast food include burgers, fries, pizza, fish and chips, kebabs and fried chicken.
  • Well known fast food franchises and restaurants include McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Burger King.
  • As well as at restaurants, fast food is commonly sold at convenience stores and gas stations. Examples of this include hotdogs, meat pies and doughnuts.
  • Fast food is often highly processed and produced on a large scale to decrease costs. Ingredients and various menu items are typically prepared at a different location before being sent to restaurants to be cooked, reheated or quickly put together for the customer’s convenience.
  • While hamburgers, fries and pizza are seen as traditional fast foods, countries throughout the world sell all types of fast food that may not be so well known. Some examples of these include kebabs, Chinese takeaways (friend noodles, rice and meat dishes), sushi and bento type foods in Japan and fish and chips in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
  • Consumers in the USA spend over $100 billion on fast food every year.
  • McDonald’s is arguably the worlds most well known fast food chain. There are McDonald’s restaurants found in over 100 countries around the world and they serve over 40 million customers every day.
  • Due to increased awareness of public health and obesity levels, efforts have been made to improve fast food menus by lowering fat levels or at least offering healthier alternatives. While these health concerns are generating more attention, fast food is still linked to worldwide weight gain problems, increased diabetes risks and healthcare costs.

Food Facts

FoodFood Facts

Enjoy these fun food facts for kids. Learn a range of interesting facts about food and nutrition, topics that play an important role in everyone’s lives.
What foods are popular around the world? Is it common to have a food allergy? What is a vegan? Find out the answers to these questions and much more.

  • McDonald’s fast food chains employ over 1.5 million people around the world.
  • Different parts of the world have their own local cuisine. The diets and general food habits of various cultures depend on social, religious, economic and safety factors as well as the availability of different foods.
  • Examples of food and cuisine that are popular or famous in certain areas of the world include hummus in the Middle East, apple pie in the USA, raw fish in Japan, cheese in France, roast meat and vegetables in England, curry in India and tortillas in Mexico.
  • There are around 2000 different plant types that humans use to cultivate food.
  • Examples of popular vegetables include lettuce, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, potatoes and onions.
  • Cutting onions releases a gas which causes a stinging sensation when it comes into contact with your eyes. Your body produces tears to dilute the irritant and remove it from your eyes.
  • China is the largest producer of garlic, producing over 10 million tons in 2008 and accounting for over 75% of world output.
  • Examples of popular fruits include apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, peaches, bananas, apricots and grapes.
  • India is the world’s largest producer of bananas, producing nearly 22 million tons in 2007.
  • Humans use many different methods for gathering food which include farming, hunting, gardening, foraging and fishing.
  • Humans eat meat from a number of different animals, common examples include meat from chickens, cows, sheep and pigs. Other food products that come from animals include milk, eggs and honey.
  • Although humans are omnivores (eating both plants and animals), many people choose not to eat meat and fish, they are known as vegetarians. Those who don’t eat or use any products made from animals (including eggs, dairy products and honey) are known as vegans.
  • Food for human consumption is typically made from plants and animals but we also eat other products such as fermented foods and fungus (mushrooms, truffles etc).
  • Cooking is an important part of food preparation that involves applying heat. In most cases this transforms the chemical make up of food, altering its texture, flavor, nutritional properties and appearance.
  • Types of equipment used in the cooking process include ovens, microwaves, toasters, grills, pots and frying pans.
  • Various cooking methods include boiling, simmering, steaming, sautéing, pan frying and deep-frying.
  • Around 70 million people suffer from food poisoning every year with around 7 million of these cases being fatal. Careful food storage, temperature control and preparation is necessary to avoid potentially dangerous bacteria, toxins and viruses.
  • Around 8% of children and 2% of adults have some kind of food allergy, this occurs when the body’s immune system incorrectly assumes a certain food protein is harmful and attacks it. Common examples of food allergies include reactions to peanuts, gluten and shellfish.