That humble staple of the fast-food industry – the
french fry – is more dangerous than it looks. A recent study by the
non-profit Columbia Basin Institute found that fry-makers in the
Columbia River Basin waste cheap water and poison residential
wells. The 100-page report, Value Added and Subtracted, says
fry-makers use only half of each potato and spread more than 3
billion pounds of potato sludge over fields in Washington and
Oregon each year. The waste breaks down and releases nitrates,
which are at unsafe levels in 30 percent of residential wells along
the Columbia, the report says. In addition, the industry leaves its
mainly Mexican-American workforce seasonally unemployed while it
receives federally subsidized water and state development tax
credits. The report calls for companies like McDonald’s to take the
lead in planning local programs to reduce pollution and ensure
employee benefits. It also suggests increasing the price of water
from dams to encourage conservation instead of subsidizing the
multimillion-dollar fry industry. To receive the report, or a
10-page summary, write the Columbia Basin Institute, Box 3795,
Portland, OR 97208
(503/222-6541).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Fast food at fault.
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