A closer look
Fast food dollar menus are economically sustainable only because the actual cost of raising beef and corn is heavily subsidized by the government, meaning taxpayers are unknowingly paying for their cheap burgers through their federal income taxes anyway. If the agricultural industry were actually forced to absorb the true environmental and logistical costs of producing that processed meat patty without massive federal bailouts, your late-night drive-thru snack would cost significantly more than a handful of spare change. It is a spectacular illusion of the free market where we pretend we are getting an incredible bargain on ultra-processed calories while simultaneously funding the corporate farming conglomerates that make it impossible for actual independent farmers to survive
