Which fast
food chain do you think is the largest in the world? Take a guess! Did you say McDonalds?
That’s what I thought too before I did some research. It turns out that Subway
is the #1 food chain in the world! There are approximately 33,000 stores worldwide! 79 of those stores are located in Singapore
which is less than 300 square miles, and in Germany there are 778 stores
country-wide. I don’t know about you but, I think their veggies look a little
too perfect. So how do they keep them so nice?
They simply add sodium benzoate to
keep their vegetables, meat, and sauces fresh. This preservative has been known
to cause allergic reactions because of its ingredients. Not only do they put
chemicals on their veggies, they add yellow food coloring to their banana
peppers so they look more appealing. That’s a little gross.
The runner-up in this food chain “competition”
is McDonald’s, with a whopping 32,000 stores worldwide. In America McDonalds is
known for their Big Mac but in Germany they’re known for their Big Rösti. The Big
Rösti is a beef patty with Emmentaler cheese, a hash brown, and bacon strips on
an onion bun. That’s a crazy twist on a Big Mac if you ask me. In addition to a
Big Mac (or a Big Rösti) are the french fries. Who could eat a burger without
them? These fried taters are an American favorite. So what are they really made
out of and why are they so addicting?
The answer is 17 different
ingredients! According to McDonald’s website and Michelle Schoffro, they start
off with potatoes and add canola oil, hydrogenated soy bean oil, safflower oil,
“natural flavor” which is a nice name often used in the place of monosodium
glutamate (MSG for short; which is a nerve and brain toxin that leads to
headaches), dextrose (sugar), sodium acid pyrophosphate (a color preservative
that is hazardous if ingested), citric acid, dimethylpolysiloxane (this
chemical is actually commonly used in sealants and caulking but McDonalds doesn’t
seem to care), vegetable oil (used when the “chemical infused potato sticks”
are fried), and TBHQ (a petroleum- based preservative that is like butane which
is a lighter fluid!). The preservative TBHQ has been linked to skin conditions,
asthma, hormone disruption, damaged DNA, and cancer.
The person who came up with the
saying, “Don’t eat what you can’t pronounce” sure knew what he was talking
about. There seems to be a lot of truth behind it. Even if everyone knew what went
into Mickey D’s french fries some people would still eat them, because they’re
addicting. The MSG in the fries has an addictive component that leaves the
consumers wanting more. McDonalds sure did think of everything, to keep their customer
count up. On that note, which other big food chain is racking in the big bucks?
Of course, it is the beloved
Starbucks! If you haven’t heard of Starbucks, I’m sorry but you live under a
rock. With about 16,700 stores
worldwide, Starbucks coffee is an early bird favorite. I’d be careful about getting
coffee at Starbucks though. Since their coffee is pre-ground there are bugs in
it, specifically cockroaches! While doing research I read that the cockroaches
get in with the beans and since it’s hard to sort them out they are ground up
together. Even when buying whole beans to grind yourself, you still have to be
careful. Bugs such as cochineal insects are used to give the coffee beans their
rich brown color. Not only does Starbucks have a cockroach problem; they have a
cochineal insect problem as well!
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