McDonaldization

The term “McDonaldization” was coined by Jim Hightower in his book, Eat Your Heart Out (1975). Hightower was a farm activist who warned that fast food threatened independent businesses and family-owned farms. He believed that the practices of international fast food chains, such as McDonald’s, were creating a food economy dominated by giant corporations. According to Hightower, “Not only are hams becoming uniformly bland, but so is American taste. Not only are local beers disappearing, but so is local identity.”