Political Interference

Fast food chains are highly profitable, and these transnational corporations spend hundreds of millions on lobbying and political contributions each year to keep it that way.

To keep their costs down, fast food lobbyists work hard to fight minimum wage hikes and keep commodity prices artificially low. To keep profits high, they fight tooth and nail to stop common sense public health initiatives that protect the public and expose how unhealthy their products actually are.

It’s a cozy relationship: Fast food giants spend big bucks to help get politicians elected who will look out for corporate interests; those politicians, in some cases, then hire fast food lobbyists to work as paid staff.

Lobbyists work closely with their friends they help elect to the State House, crafting laws that keep the profits rolling in, even at the cost of our health and welfare. Last year the restaurant industry spent $7.5 million to lobby at the national level, and worked with elected officials to water down or defeat public health legislation from California to Washington, D.C.[1]

It’s not just money that enables fast food giants to get their way; trade associations, like the National Restaurant Association, give fast food a respectable veneer to hide behind.

The National Restaurant Association says they speak for the mom-and-pop restaurant, using local restaurateurs as spokespeople. In reality, they are the voice of fast food giants, fighting to keep government from implementing protective regulations for the public and fast food employees.