Fast food refers to foods that are cheap and easy to prepare. Many of them have little or no nutritional value for the body and contain excess fat, sugar and calories. They became popular in the early 1950s, especially in the United States of America and other developed nations. Although any food that takes little time to prepare is fast food, the term is primarily applicable to foods available in restaurants, supermarkets, diners, and grocery stores and contains pre-cooked/preheated ingredients. They mostly appear in take-away packages. Some of the most common fast foods include burgers, sandwiches, savory snacks, candy, chewing gum, croissants, pizzas, kebabs, and noodles. Drinks include soft drinks and milkshakes. Burstein (34) notes that fast food saves time and energy, but has many nutritional deficiencies. Plus, they're cheap and tasty, but they're the cause of many modern health problems that are often difficult to treat or manage. In recent years, fast food restaurants have attracted widespread criticism, especially from nutritionists. The revolution in everyday cooking has made fast food part of the daily diet of urban families and school-age children. Many people blame them for the increasing cases of lifestyle, health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Fast food restaurants are responsible for the loss of traditional cuisine and authentic dishes that used to be healthy. Consumer groups criticizing fast food restaurants have emerged. Some of them include the Center for Science in Public Interest, which criticizes fast food for portion sizes, trans fats and calorie content. Some have raised long-term versus short-term physiological concerns. Cancer is a health condition that originates from afar... middle of paper... has particularly hit the food safety debate due to its short maturation time and ability to alleviate hunger. Works Cited Burstein, John. Fast Food: slowing us all down. St. Catharine's, Ontario: CrabtreePublishers, 2008. Print.Gutierrez, David. “Chemicals found in fast food wrappers are present in human blood.” Natural news. January 6. 2012. Network. June 12, 2014. Hargreave, Jenny and Trish, Hill. Fast food happiness. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2001.Print.Leidner, Robin. Fast food, quick chat: service work and the routine of daily life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. Print.Pollan, Michael. The omnivore's dilemma: the search for a perfect meal in the world of fast food. London: Bloomsbury, 2007. Print.Schlosser, Eric and Charles, Wilson. Chew This: The Unfortunate Truth About Fast Food. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.