You will notice during this posting that I will mention Mc Donald’s quite frequently. In no way am I suggesting that this restaurant chain is the sole reason of bad health among African-Americans; however, they do play a major role in the bad diet of most Blacks.
Here are some quick food facts before I get started:
Quaker 100% Natural Oats & Honey Granola: Lots of healthy oats, but they’re coated with plenty of sugar and filled with “more artery-clogging fat than you’d get in a McDonald’s hamburger.”
Denny’s Grand Slam Breakfast: It comes with three-quarters of your daily fat and saturated fat, nearly a full day’s sodium and one-and-a-half day’s cholesterol.
Campbell’s red-and-white-label condensed soups: One can equals your entire daily sodium allowance.
Burger King french fries: The fact that french fries made the list isn’t surprising, but you might be shocked to know that a king-size order is 590 calories and 30 grams of fat. That’s even worse than an order of McDonald’s super-size fries.
Pizza Hut’s Big New Yorker Pizza: Two slices have nearly a full day’s saturated fat and sodium, even without the sausage and pepperoni.
Entenmann’s Rich Frosted doughnut: One doughnut has as much saturated and trans fat as nine strips of bacon. (full article)
For years, Mc Donald’s has been hailed by many in the Black community as a source that provides both economic stability and opportunity for Blacks that would otherwise not have the chance to better themselves due to poor education. From church bulletins, college newspapers, to major Black media such as Black Enterprise magazine, Mc Donald’s has made for itself a niche in the Black community. Here is one of many success stories of how one person is capitalizing on this trend:
Allen is exactly the kind of entrepreneur that McDonald’s likes to bring into its franchise system.
An African-American woman who earned an MBA from Marquette University, Allen has proven herself to be a sharp business woman.
She opened her first McDonald’s restaurant on E. Capitol Drive in 1999. In just five years, she has built her operation to nine restaurants in the Milwaukee area that employ 500 people, the majority of whom are minorities who come from the central city.
Many of Allen’s stores are located in the heart of the central city and have experienced double-digit sales growth in recent years, which is above that of most other Milwaukee central-city McDonald’s restaurants, according to figures supplied by McDonald’s Corp.
Allen, who spent more than a decade as general manager of customer-service centers for Wisconsin Gas Co., is one of only four African-American owner/operators and the only African-American woman to operate a McDonald’s franchise in southeastern Wisconsin.
Allen purchased her first McDonald’s restaurant with money that she accumulated through her 401(k) retirement savings plan after 18 years with the gas company. A knowledge of corporate finance helped Allen to understand the nuances of financing. As a result, she was able to take advantage of a business facilities lease program that allows franchisees to lease a McDonald’s restaurant without having to buy it outright.
For minority entrepreneurs like Allen, McDonald’s appeals because of its strong brand recognition and because it was one of the first fast-food chains to go into urban communities that major franchises traditionally shied away from.Based in Oak Brook, Ill., McDonald’s boasts the largest number of minority- and women-owned franchises in the quick-service industry – 37% – and says it makes 35% of its purchases from minority-owned firms.
Allen also continues in the article of how her stores are bringing much needed employment in the communities that she serves. (full article)
Here are some facts about McDonald’s that you may not have known:
The Golden Arches are more widely known than the Christian cross in the world today.
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s said this: “We have found… that we cannot trust some people who are non-conformists. We will make conformists out of them in a hurry… The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization.”
*The vast majority of workers at McDonald’s lack full-time employment, do not have any benefits, have no or little control over their workplace, and quit after a few months.
*McDonald’s jobs have been purposely de-skilled so as to be able to hire minimum wage workers on an interchangeable basis.
One-third of fast food workers speaks no English.
McDonald’s and other chains are aiming for automated equipment that will require zero training and are nearly there. Nevertheless, they fight hard to retain hundreds of millions of dollars of government subsidies for “training” their workers.
A worker has only to work for 400 hours for the chain to receive its $2,400 subsidy. In essence, the
American taxpayer subsidizes low wages, automation, and turnover at fast food chains.
*Turnover is 3-400% a year. 90% are paid hourly, have no benefits, and are scheduled to work only as needed
*A typical McDonald’s has fifty workers working 30 hours a week, thus avoiding the need for overtime.
*Managers make an average of $23,000 and work 50-70 hours a week
*Not one worker at McDonald’s belongs to a union.
Feedlot cattle are also given shredded packaging, cardboard boxes, cement, and sawdust to put on weight.
Shall I continue?
You will find all this information and more in the book that I mentioned in my last posting entitled “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal†by Eric Schlosser.
With all of these findings that are mentioned above, I find it amazing that the Black community has done virtually nothing to demand serious changes to be made in the quality of food that is being served in our communities. Operations such as Mc Donald’s have so intertwined themselves in Black culture until they have virtually choked out all voices in our communities that would raise these serious points. Has the Black community made a deal with the devil as it relates to our health? Politicians and leaders in the Black community are quick to give each other high-fives when fast food chains open location after location in our communities. To them, all they see are more jobs. Nevermind the increased health risk these businesses serve each day on a platter to Blacks on a daily basis.
*Think about the “concern” that politicians are expressing for the minimum wage worker. These points are the reality that these workers have to face regardless of who is in office.
Stay tuned! I am working on the next piece of this series. Please feel free to comment.
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