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Criticism and alternatives
Fast-food chains have come under fire from consumer groups (such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a longtime fast-food critic) over the past decade. Some of the concerns have led to the rise of the Slow Food movement. This movement seeks to preserve local cuisines and ingredients, and directly opposes laws and habits that favor fast-food choices. Among other things, it strives to educate consumers' palates to prefer what it considers richer, more varied, and more nourishing tastes of fresh local ingredients harvested in season.

Environmental Impact
The cheap price of a fast-food burger is allowed by compromising other factors, including the quality of meat and impact on the environment. Some issues pertaining to the environmental impact of fast-food are just being realized, and some are not yet fully understood.

Where fast-food meat comes from
The meat in a single fast-food hamburger may have come from up to twelve different cows, from as far away as Argentina. The demand for fast-food has prompted deforestation of rainforests to make way for cheap grazing land for cattle. Feedlots are another way to cheaply raise cattle, although they enable concentrated manure to release nitrates, phosphorous, and bacteria into nearby lakes and streams. A less environmentally harmful alternative is rotational grazing, but this method is less cost effective and therefor not used by fast-food restaurants.

Volatile organic compounds from fast-food
Cooking four average sized fast-food hamburgers emits the same amount of VOC (volatile organic compounds) as driving a current model car for 1,000 miles. The VOC particulates released into the air include formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. In response to this, all chain-driven commercial restaurants in the Bay Area of California will soon be required to have emissions control on their grills, which will be equipped with catalytic converters to reduce particulates and VOC's. Perhaps this should be expected everywhere.

Packaging
Fast-food packaging also has a negative impact on the environment, perhaps more than the large amount of waste caused by the packaging. According to the Environmental Working Group, the packaging contains Fluorinated telomers, a small polymer used to keep grease from seeping through packaging used for french fry cartons and pizza boxes. Once injested, Fluorinated telemers break down into perfluorooctanoic acid. The health affects are unknown, but perfluorooctanoic acid is present in most American's bloodstream, and could enter the environment as the telomers break down in landfills.