Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (read April 2009)

I finally waded through this book while on vacation a few weeks ago. Disturbing but not surprising. The first third of the book details the social and business culture of the fast food industry: its roots, relationships with other industries (e.g. Disney), hiring practices, marketing strategies, business practices (e.g. anti-union) with a few individual stories sprinkled in. The latter two-thirds, however, delves into the food processing aspect - first the french fries and then the beef and poultry. The most vivid parts are the descriptions of the cow holding pens and butcher assembly lines. The most disturbing part, however, is the power of industry over the government to limit regulation (employee and food safety). The book is well written, extensively researched (and referenced) and paced well enough not to get too bogged down in any particular minutia (though I did get a bit bored with the first third of the book). This read has forced me to re-evaluate my diet. I may never eat beef again. Worth the read.