Fast food is the term given to many foods that can be prepared and served quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, such as TV dinners, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store which is rapidly prepared and served to the customer in a packaged form for take out/take away.Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations.The capital requirements to start a fast-food restaurant are relatively small, particularly in areas with non-existent or poorly enforced health codes. Small, individually-owned fast-food restaurants have become common throughout the world. Fast food restaurants with higher sit-in ratios, where customers can sit and have their orders brought to them, are known as fast casual restaurants.

A study commissioned by the US daily newspaper Seattle Post-Intelligencer shows that restaurant workers could face serious potential health risks stemming from exposure to the flavouring ingredient diacetyl. Diacetyl, a food flavouring chemical in artificial butter flavours, is a common ingredient in the margarines, shortenings and cooking oils and

A conservation group in Nepal is seeing rare vulture numbers rise after it opened a healthy “restaurant” for the birds that features healthy and delicious drug-free cattle carcasses.

72 people contracted Salmonella food poisoning after eating contaminated roast beef at an Arby's in GA. 26% of those infected were hospitalized, which is very unusual. The board of health cultured Salmonella bacteria from a meat slicer and roast beef at the restaurant. Arby's needs to take responsibilty by paying medical bills and lost wages.

Health wise, fast food really has little or nothing to offer. Just because a fast food chain serves a salad, or some sliced apples, does not mean they are now a healthy restaurant. That being said, if you manage your portions at these places, you should be able to survive one or two stops at your favorite greasy spoon joint.

This made me want to vomit. Some of these meals have more artery-calcifying trans-fat in a single serving than you should eat in a year. Some of them have 200 grams of carbs and 4000-5000 mg of sodium. You could take these meals and end up with a bag of flour, a box of shortening and a shaker of salt. Revolting. People, this is why we are fat.