Supersizing Urban America Summary

In her review of Supersizing Urban America by Chin Jou, titled “'Supersizing Urban America': How U.S. Policies Encouraged Fast Food To Spread”, Tove Danovich discusses the arching topic of national policy and the effect it had with Americans waistbands. Danovich reaches the conclusion the source of the abundance of fast food in underdeveloped communities can be traced back to the 1960s race riots and the formation of the Small Business Association. I, on the other hand, hypothesize it can be trailed back to the end of WWII and the G.I. Bill. In my analysis of her essay, I conclude the government's response to racial inequality lead to the rise of fast food franchises and obesity in low income neighborhoods. The book review begins with Danovich introducing the force money has with bringing or keeping out fast food franchises. She describes the situation in 1974 when a McDonald's wanted to open their doors in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and were forcibly thrown out after they revealed the restaurant inflated their stock resulting in it dropping $357 million. It is a different story for less wealthy neighborhoods where it is nearly impossible

In order to mend the problem government set out to give loans to small businesses in hope they would create jobs in the poorest parts of the country. This plan, however, paved the way for fast food to leach in, sporting a high profit rate compared to local grocers. “Because of this, the SBA were more likely to give out loans to people looking to open franchises rather than grocery stores”(Danovich). The effect is a landscape of inner-city America speckled with fast food kings with a high obesity population to match. I agree with Danovich on her stance of poor policy causing the surge of fast food franchises, although I suspect this issue could be traced back to the second world