The Fast Food Song.

Two students stand in their kitchen, chatting about the day’s events and putting the finishing touches to their evening meals. Tempting smells of culinary delight waft through the house and soon have other members of the student community that share the kitchen reaching for their phones or a cheeky chip from a friend’s plate.

The reason? Whilst this idyllic scene of student camaraderie is the joy of every parent who wants their child to grow up, the truth is that the student has automatically diverted to the ever reliable takeaway service.

Diets of noodles and pizzas are not the healthy variant. This much is obvious. But their convenience is undeniable.

However, recent research suggests that most people are getting much more from the food they purchase in a hurry than they bargain for. Filling up on sat fats, salts and various additives, it appears fast food has not become as conscious of its content as is often advertised.

Colours achieved in many of the vended chicken tikka masala and sweet and sour chicken meals are due to colouring. A total of 223 takeaways nationwide failed to adhere to expected standards and consequently there is a great worry that the extent to which food is of subsidiary expectations will never be known. It was also added that around 20% of meals promoting themselves as free from nuts actually still contained the potentially lethal ingredient.

At minimum, caution is recommended by the Food Standards Agency.

The agency has called for a voluntary ban on artificial colourings including sunset yellow (E110), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124) because of their reported link to hyperactivity in some children. This is because there are only restrictions and not blanket bans on these products.

However, some takeaways were found to even flout the recommended maximum amounts for these additives. Without regulation, it is difficult to ensure standards are maintained.

Councillor Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Regulation Board which carried out the study of takeaway meals, said that the high levels of fat, salt and sugar in them were "truly shocking and unnecessary". He continued by adding “There's no excuse for illegal amounts of colouring and as for secretly using a cheaper type of meat, that's just shamefully ripping off customers.”

Of course, money is a big issue for students, especially with the impending price hike. But group together to buy some produce and sit down to eat your meals. It saves money and you make better friends having dedicated time together.

No one is expected to be a culinary whizz. However, the consequences of not trying to put a meal together could be much worse than a failed attempt over the stove.

Without being an advertiser, or promoter:
http://www.youtube.com/show/takeawaymytakeaway?s=1