Unhealthy Diets and Ethical Dilemmas in the Fast Food Business

This essay discusses the problem of unhealthy diets and ethical dilemmas in the fast food business. It explores the impact of processed foods on health, the ethical concerns of eating meat, and the need for businesses to align with customer preferences. The essay also highlights the importance of transparency, quality control, and workplace ethics in the industry.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Business in society
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
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Information
In the present age of competition, people lack time for preparing foods at home and
prefer readymade foods. I think this is due to the hard schedule, which they are compelled to
follow throughout the day. I have seen people standing in long queues for buying burgers,
rolls and noodles for their dinner, while returning from the workplaces. The immediate result
is obesity, which is a striking fact in terms of maintaining the balance in their daily life. One
of the relevant factors in this context is the income and daily lifestyle (Grayson and Hodges
2017). I can cite an example regarding the increase in the consumption of processed foods in
the aristocratic people. This is in case of all of the people, irrespective of their class, caste and
background. In this essay, I would present my views on the problem of unhealthy diets
aggravating the complexities in the business of the fast food restaurants. Along with this, my
focus would be on the ethical dilemmas related to eating meat, which might be a preferred
choice for a certain section of society. Here, I would lay stress on killing the animals, which
is not morally and culturally acceptable.
I affirm with the arguments of Dr Lawrence Haddad, executive Director of Global
Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) regarding upgradation of food processing systems
for catering to the health needs of the customers. I feel that reposition of these systems is
needed in terms of aligning the operations with that of the specific tastes and preferences of
the customers. I liked the initiatives of Dr Francesco Branca, Director of Department of
Nutrition towards addressing the issue of malnutrition. In this, I especially liked the focus on
the policies for making nutrition sensitive. Typical evidence of this lies in the subsidies for
nutritious crops, which is estimated to improve the health of the people (Wood et al. 2015). In
this, I can cite the reference of public and private sector partnerships for increasing the sales
of the healthy and organic foods.

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Fig: Global burden of disease risk factors related to diet
(Source: Yunus 2017)
Dietary risks are accounted as the greatest risk. This is according to the report of
2013. On the contrary, tobacco smoking gains an important position in the risks not related to
diet. I am concerned regarding the impact, which tobacco smoking creates on the life of the
individuals. Sometimes, excessive consumption leads to cancer, which aggravates the
complexities in the form of life risk.
Moving on, I would like to draw the attention of the readers to the fast food business,
which is spreading like fires. These outlets are placed in close proximity to the customers, so
as to gain more profit. I can cite the example of a restaurant, which is situated close to my
residence. This has enhanced my convenience in terms of satisfying my appetite needs. As I
stay alone, this has benefitted me in terms of getting quality foods at cheaper rates. While
returning from the office, I take foods, which I would be having in dinner. However, this is
not the story all the time. On my off days, I prepare foods at home. This is because I feel that
eating out daily can result in health issues. However, some people regularity dine out, which
is helping the businesses to gain profit, but it is causing harmful results for the people. These

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aspects fulfil the criteria of the essay that a business can make a difference by adding to a
global problem.
Interpretation
I think business attains globalizations when it increases in its sales revenue and profit
margin. However, if there is negative word of mouth advertisements, the situation becomes
worst and is directed towards making business instead of catering to the specific tastes and
preference of the customers. Most of the restaurants distribute flyers and pamphlets to
advertise the products and services. The immediate result of this is the customers visiting the
restaurants for experimenting with the dishes (Tietenberg and Lewis 2016). I think social
media has revolutionised the business of the fast food restaurants. This is in terms of
enhancing the trafficking of the audience towards the brand image. In this, the important
aspects are ratings for the quality of the food items and the customer service. The more the
restaurant receive ratings, the more they gain satisfaction.
One of the recent trends in the fast food business is the use of healthy and organic
ingredients in preparing the dishes. This is in response to the preference of the customers
towards the healthy diets. In view of the increased levels of obesity, the restaurants have been
instructed to use organic ingredients for preparing the foods. I can cite the instances of quality
control tests and assurances, which have been conducted for ensuring the prepared foods are
free of excess sucrose and fats. As per the arguments of Trevino and Nelson (2016),
maintaining consistency in these tests upgrades the standards and quality of the food items.
The vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are prepared separately, which I think is crucial for
enhancing the hygiene.
I am really concerned regarding the preparation of the non-vegetarian items. This is
because it involves killing of animals, which is illegal. In this context, I think the culture

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plays an important factor, which contradicts these rights. However, adherence to these rights
is vital for averting the illegal scandals and issues, which can defame the businesses. We all
have grown up with the conceptions that eating meat is acceptable within the cultural aspect.
Here, I expose my affirmation with the opinions of Peter Singer, who, in his book, Animal
Liberation, is of the view that principles of equality is beyond the requirements of identical
treatment. However, it adds focus on the requirement of identical treatment (Peng 2016). This
I think is necessary in terms of classifying the animals in the same group or class.
The opinions regarding animal rights are mixed. The majority are of the view that
animal rights are equally important. In this, I disagree with the views of the schools of moral
philosophy regarding decision on the rights possessed by the beings. The decisive approach is
contradicted by the aspect of the basic and fundamental rights, which the living beings are
entrusted with, upon the initiation of his existentialism. However, a chef does not think about
the pain and suffering of a chicken. They just think of cutting it and using it for preparing the
dishes. In this, quality of the chicken is focused, however, on a low tone, which adds to the
problem of food poisoning. I think negligent approach of the chefs to wash the chicken
properly is harmful for the customers in case of enjoying the sumptuous delicacies. This kind
of approach is a compromise towards the specific tastes and preferences of the customers
(Porter and Kramer 2019).
These aspects align with the standards and protocols of the workplace ethics, where
the main focus is on the wellbeing of the clients and the customers. I think that if the
restaurants take big initiative, their business venture into big deals. Strategic management in
this case is productive in terms of gaining large scale customer satisfaction. On the contrary,
if long term goals are not developed, the result is meagre, compelling the staffs to face
problems. I think the staffs play an important role in altering the dynamics of the operations.
In this perspective, focus on cheap production methods is an initiative towards indulging in

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joint ventures with the suppliers (Charles, Schmidheiny and Watts 2017). I think this is
problematic for the animals. Typical evidence of this lies in the cruelty prone meats and dairy
products, which are considered. I think the resources of food processing units and capabilities
is accounted as an important factor, adding value to the preparation of the foods.
Evaluation
I feel that one does not need to be an animal activist for ensuring that the fast food
chains cater to the needs of the clients and the customers. If I cite the example of a chicken, it
is caged, which contradicts their freedom. However, these aspects are nullified in terms of the
culture and religious factors, where killing the animals for their meat is acceptable. For
gaining an insight into this aspect, I conducted research. I came to know that burger king,
who in collaboration with Tim Hortons promised to make use of cage free eggs by 2025.
According to the critics, the announcement is cynical and nearly a decade out in terms of
aligning the business trends with the recent demands of the clients and the customers. The
critics are of the view that the announcement is something like the promise is being made by
one and the record keeping is conducted by others. I think such comments are to some extent
justified in terms of the temporary posting of the CEO. In this case, I think flexible planning
is lacking, which might develop results, tenacity of which can be short-lived.
The supply chains can also be involved in this aspect. I think the kind of raw materials
supplied to the suppliers and the products in return matter the most in terms of providing
quality foods to the clients and the customers. If the raw vegetables are thoroughly rinsed
before supplying it to the chefs, the end product (chicken item) would be fresh and lip
smacking for the customers. In this, one of the main problems is the lack of decision-making
skills towards altering the sources from which it is preparing the dishes (Bell, Bryman and
Harley 2018). However, I think that alterations are needed in case of the egg industry in terms

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of aligning the operations according to the standards and quality of the benchmark level.
Measurability of the issue lies in announcement of abandoning battery cages by 2036, which
can be considered as a behaviour aligning to the workplace ethics.
In this, I can refer to two things: opening a supply chain network and disseminating
the customers about the cruelty free ways in which eggs are extracted from the chicken.
Synthesizing these two conditions, I can conclude that transparency is needed for enhancing
the awareness of the customers regarding the ways in which the chicken, eggs and the other
non-veg items are stored. In this case, I can point out that the customers expect a lot from the
restaurant staffs. For living up to the expectations, the staffs need to take feedback from the
customers. Here, I can cite the implicit permission, which is given to the restaurant managers
in terms of executing their operations according to the identified and the specified values
(Laszlo and Zhexembayeva 2017). One of the interesting facts in this context is that the
customers prefer eggs from the chicken, which are healthy. However, in terms of increasing
the profit, the managers feel the pressures from the contemporary brands, which reflects their
approach towards emerging with something creative for retaining the prospective customers.
I can also cite the problem of malnutrition, which is a burning aspect in the 21st
century. Several governmental initiatives have been undertaking for curbing the issues. I
think policies regarding controlling obesity is an exemplar for catering to the health needs of
the public domain. Food summits have been conducted for reducing under nutrition,
economic losses and other issues. I think the policies contradict the aspect of problem, adding
to the differentiation in terms of the profitability of the business, especially in case of fast
foods.
I would now like to draw the attention of the audience towards the aspects of ethics in
the food that we eat. In this context, the main focus is on the welfare of the animals. Large

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Corporations rely on directives for using animals for preparing the non-veg items (Bell,
Bryman and Harley 2018). I can cite the reference of audits and meetings with the directors
and environmentalists, which proves beneficial in terms of standardizing the operations
according to the benchmark level. Maintaining consistency in conducting these audits helps
in gaining an insight into the drawbacks in the operations. In this, I think feedbacks are
crucial in terms of mapping the thought process of the customers. This is beneficial in terms
of aligning the operations and trends according to culture. Training the staffs about catering
to the individual opinions of the clients and the customers is an initiative towards preparing
them for confronting the bigger challenges, which awaits them. I think consideration of
problem solving cycle is relevant in terms of identifying the crucial problems, which can act
as an obstacle in executing the operations. Gaining an insight into the specific cause of the
problem is needed in terms of achieving relevant solutions (Charles, Schmidheiny and Watts
2017). In this, I can say that theoretical considerations are apt for developing relevancy in the
process of resolving the potential issues.
Contacting the team of research and development is effective in terms of developing
the skills, knowledge and expertise regarding the innovations, which can be made in the
preparation of the food items. I think causing the advent of innovation can also be a problem,
if appropriate approach is not applied to the execution of the operations. This can result
differently in terms of the expected results and the estimated outcomes. On the other hand, if
strategic approach is exposed towards executing the tasks, then difference would be exposed
in a positive sense. As a matter of specification, it would display results more than the
expectations.
I can also perceive problem and difference from the perspective of cause and effect.
Citing the example of a fast food chain, if it conducts journey mapping for the achievements,
it can track the extent to which the performance aligns with the specific needs, demands and

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requirements of the customers (Porter and Kramer 2019). Negligent approach in this direction
can affect the profitability, adding vulnerability to the market position. In order to curb
malnutrition, initiatives can be taken for taking donations, which can upgrade the standards of
living for the people living below poverty level. Compulsion in the donations is an unethical
behaviour, contradicting the aspects of trust, loyalty and dependence. Therefore, liberal
approach is needed for generating customer-oriented services in terms of humankind.
Perceiving the issue from the training perspective, I can say that involving the
employees in wide ranging activities can create difference in the operations of the fast food
business. Taking post training tests can be beneficial in terms of ensuring whether the staffs
are capable of making practical application of the learnt skills in performing the assigned
duties and responsibilities. Scoring the performance of the staffs would be helpful in making
estimates about the direction in which the operations of the fast food business would
transcend in the upcoming financial years (Peng 2016). I feel consideration of the
performance management systems would be one of an innovative steps towards making a
difference in terms of the standards and quality of the operations. I think conducting need
analysis for the issues, which the staffs are facing would be beneficial for reaching to a
solution. In this, transparency and clarity in the information disseminated to the customers,
attains vital position in terms of averting the ethical dilemmas. Implementation of Ethical
Code of Conduct would be fruitful in terms of uplifting the standards and quality of
organizational behaviour of the fast food restaurants (Trevino and Nelson 2016).

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References
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Grayson, D. and Hodges, A., 2017. Corporate social opportunity!: Seven steps to make
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Laszlo, C. and Zhexembayeva, N., 2017. Embedded sustainability. In Embedded
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Peng, M.W., 2016. Global business. Cengage Learning.
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