7 Fast Food Myths Busted

The fast food industry is expected to rise 4.9% from last year, to be worth $899 billion in 2020, according to National Restaurant Association forecasts.

The reach of the Internet and social networking has enhanced the spreading of rumors even more than before. And this has given rise to many myths that are told so often, that they are believed to be the truth. Fast food has gained popularity in the last few decades, and so have the myths surrounding these food items.

Though these eatables are readily available – generally even delivered to your doorstep, health concerns will always be associated with them.

We will address this and other similar concerns, and bust some of the most common myths that surround fast food.

Yes you read it right. There was a myth doing the rounds for a long time regarding the changing of the name of KFC.

Kentucky Fried Chicken shortened their name to KFC, and this gave rise to the myth that the food joint didn't use chicken at all! It was rumored that they used mutant animals with large breasts and beaks, which were harvested and later used by them.

Fact: The name change took place to avoid the word 'fried', because the Kentucky Fried Chicken management thought that this word was projecting their food items as unhealthy. And most people thought that they were actually trying to eliminate the 'chicken' part!

Most of you might think that this statement cannot be a myth. Though debatable as a myth, one cannot deny the fact that salads contain more calories than a medium-sized pizza! Where do the calories come from? In salads, there is cheese, olive oil, meat, along with spices – all these simply add on to the calorie count.

Fact: This myth may not be true for some salads. But the ones that have all the fat and carb items are surely unhealthier than our pizzas! We have just got an excuse to skip salads and relish pizzas.

There are a lot of people who actually think that the fast food giant uses any kind of meat, except beef! Some believe that MD uses crushed worms as fillers, while others believe that instead of beef they use kangaroo meat.

Fact: It is but obvious that both these allegations are false. In fact, the fast food chain owns various beef farms in different countries, from where the meat used in their food items is brought in.

Quite a few people feel that the fast food chains are intentionally adding chemicals and compounds into their food items, which make people addicted to their food. These 'added' chemicals are the reason behind the longing that people have for fast food. And this is also the reason behind the success of these food items.

Fact: This is nothing but rubbish. There are no such secret ingredients added to fast food items. It is the easy availability of these food items, and their taste, that have made them popular among all of us.

So many of us believe that the reason behind increasing obesity in the world is fast food. People munch fast food all the time, and due to the ingredients used in the preparation of these food items, they put on weight.

Fact: The reason behind people getting bulkier nowadays is not the fast food items that we eat, but it is the lifestyle most of us follow. If one doesn't exercise at all, and has his mouth full all the time, he is bound to put on weight. This rule applies for homemade foods as well.

Many people believe that fast food restaurants are clean and free from any dirt. It is, because in most of these joints, you will find employees wearing caps and gloves. There are machines used for food processing, and their workstations (we can see the workstations in most fast food restaurants) are generally clean.

Fact: I so wished this myth was true, but unfortunately it isn't. Fast food joints have drive-thru windows that offer quick service. Flies, insects, and dirt enters the stored food area in no time through these windows. As these restaurants don't have closed kitchens, the probability of dirt entering the kitchen is high.

Yet another disturbing McDonald's myth. A few people claim that the fast food chain uses embalming fluid to preserve their food items. Embalming fluid is the one that is used to preserve dead bodies. This fluid is believed to be used so as to reduce food wastage, by storing food items for a longer period of time.

Fact: The truth is that no such fluid is used by the fast food giant, and they are one of the most wasteful restaurants around.

These myths are as popular as the fast food restaurants themselves. Many of them are fabricated by rival restaurants in order to tarnish the more famous ones. Whatever the truth may be, it is the customer's personal choice whether to pay heed to such rumors or not.