Food Science and Quality Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-6088 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0557 (Online) Vol .11, 2013 1 Trend of Fast Food Consumption and its Effect on Pakistani Society Farzan Yahya 1* Rabbia Zafar 2 Soam Shafiq 2 1. Department of Finance, Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore 2. Department of Marketing, Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore * E-mail of the corresponding author: farzan.yahya@yahoo.com Abstract Fast food is convenient and tasty though it prepared with low nourishing or unhealthy ingredients. This paper focused on intensity of fast food trend and its effect on Pakistani society. Previous studied had reviewed to rationalize the results. Questionnaire had utilized as a data collection instrument. Microsoft Excel had used for tabulation and graphs while SPSS for descriptive and inferential analysis. Results showed that youngsters spend more money on junk food. Nuclear and Joint both family systems like fast food due to its taste. People like to eat fast food, outside their homes. Hunger can be satisfied with fast food. Moreover, fast food is not a cost effective mean. Fast food also used for the sake of enjoyment and fun. It is also evaluated that prolonged use of fast food is also a cause of health problems, obesity, indigestion problem and high cholesterol. Due to good taste and fluent availability people prefer fast food over home cooked food. Fast food is also a major cause of avoiding proper nutrition. People prefer fast food at their workplace due to their busy schedules. Age and Education have negative correlation with the likeness, consumption and spending money on fast food. However, with the increase in income there will be more likeness toward fast food. Keywords: Fast food, Obesity, high cholesterol, Junk food 1. Introduction Fast food denoted as food that can be cooked and dished up swiftly. They're admired as they serve filling foods that taste fine with low expenditures. Nevertheless, the food is frequently made with cheap items such as high fat beef, classy grains and added sugar & fats, rather than nourishing ingredients, for instance, lean meats, fresh fruits, and vegetables. In earlier period people used to consume vigorous, freshly ready food with their relatives in the residence. Nowadays though, several people, mainly young people, have a preference to consume junk food such as hamburgers, fried chicken, Shawarma, or pizza. There are various causes for the fame of fast food. One of the major reasons is the modifying in standard of living. Many people functioning long hours, shifts, or comprehensive school days. They don’t have time to discover ingredients or organize good food. A further reason is the enormous number of young, well off people. In most of countries larger amount of people are young population so they spend more money on fast food. Fast food restaurants regularly target kids with television and Internet promotion. Children' meals with bright covering and mini toys appeal to young children, but they are loaded with fat, sodium and additional sugars. The rise of babyhood fatness and other ailments such as diabetes may be connected to the lofty fat and sodium content of these detrimental fast food meals. The ill consequence of fast food and the probable hazard that it possesses by its usual eating is outrageous. Chubbiness, increase in cholesterol levels, dietary deficiencies, cardiac disorders, loss of muscle mass, depression, sexual dysfunction, asthma, strokes, type 2 diabetes, cancer (kidney / uterine / colon / breast / esophagus), liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases can all be caused by eating fast food on a regular basis. Advertising is a gigantic wickedness when it comes to junk. Businesses take benefit of this tool to attract kids, particularly with good deals and offers on food ordered. Television ads and those in print have a way of creeping up on children right down to when they're toddlers, building upon brand devotion before they can even get the name right of the burger their sinking their little teeth into. Fast food, though it is expedient and a delicious addition to a diet, can have serious health and communal effects. People should learn to choose fast food cautiously. Not all snack food is bad. Today, progressively fast food restaurants are offering improved options and new menu items. This paper reviews the trend and effects of fast food on the society of Pakistan. brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals