Cogs in the Great Machine

Eric Schlosser's unique brand of hard-hitting, edgy yet always entertaining writing looks beneath the surface of American life to examine issues ranging from the black market to burgers. When Penguin published his expose Fast Food Nation in 2001 it sparked a storm in the fast food industry. This extract about the terrifying true cost of cheap meat shows why Schlosser has been instrumental in changing our attitudes to what we eat.