The board members sat and waited for the red phone to ring. They represented every fast food restaurant and packaged food maker.
The phone rang and soon they saw the President on the large screen. She looked exhausted, but she spoke calmly and with purpose.
"Members of the board, thank you for attending this vital meeting. I have decided that we should activate the food shortage contingency plan immediately. Are you prepared?"
The room was polled and all were ready.
The screen went black and a huge sigh sounded in the room.
"How will we begin?" Asked the chairman.
"With the new seasoning blend until we can prep the factories." Said the logistics manager.
Nods were counted and the manager dispatched orders to every franchise.
"How long until it takes effect?"
"It will start tomorrow. Two bites of food usually does the trick. The patron is suddenly full, satisfied and happy." The room approved.
***
Day One
"May I take your order please?"
"Gimme a triple with large fries and large coke."
The customer pulled over to eat his food and after two bites, was full. "Man! Must have been my breakfast. I am so full." He said to no one. He dropped the food at his house to save for supper.
Phase One had begun.
***
By the end of week one, people started talking. Fast food was more filling and tasted better. The problem for the corporations was that sales were down, for folks were saving their leftovers and eating them for two or more meals.
The board reconvened. The President was on the screen, but was not patient this time.
"What is it?"
"Our intake of funds has dropped drastically and our revenue will be that of the seventies soon. What are we supposed to do?" The head of McBurger's asked angrily.
"This was discussed fully with you, and here is your signature." She tapped at a lengthy contract.
He paled and nodded. The others knew they had not a leg to stand on, so said nothing.
By the end of week two, revenue was increasing again, for word of mouth was spreading. 'Buy one meal there and it will last for two or more meals!'
Now the grocers were upset. 'We are losing customers to fast food!' No one said a word. They had signed away their complaints.
***
Six months passed and the corporations continued to complain, but the public was delighted. Their food bills were way down as were there waist sizes. Excitement traveled the country and began to spread to Europe.
Food stores were full again and there was no longer a food shortage.
There was only one minor side effect, as noted by the CDC, people could no longer concentrate as before. Many were fired, or died in traffic accidents on the way to work. The 'happy' part of the recipe was making everyone lackadaisical, so they did nothing, or cared about nothing.
The people who began to rule, were those who ate whole foods, organic foods or home made foods. They thrived on the fresh new crops of produce.
***
The board met one last time, for all that were left were so out of it, they had no idea what was going on. The chair was handed to the director of the organic gardening consortium for Tennessee.
The consortium decided to rule the board full throttle and ejected all the old members. Now there were Vegans and Vegetarians ruling the meat eating continent. They waited for the fall out.
***
There wasn't much of a fall out, really. Fast food addicts died. Busy moms who only cooked packaged foods died as did most of their children.
The lucky ones were those with allergies to gluten and lactose, for they often selected better quality foods.
There was now a glut of healthy food being flown all over the world. The hope was that no one would starve one more day. Sure, there were strongholds of militants, but air drops of food marked 'For US Military Only' were scarfed down and soon the leaders wandered aimlessly through deserts and jungles.
The world was changing; for the better, for once...
The board reconvened. The President was on the screen, but was not patient this time.
"What is it?"
"Our intake of funds has dropped drastically and our revenue will be that of the seventies soon. What are we supposed to do?" The head of McBurger's asked angrily.
"This was discussed fully with you, and here is your signature." She tapped at a lengthy contract.
He paled and nodded. The others knew they had not a leg to stand on, so said nothing.
By the end of week two, revenue was increasing again, for word of mouth was spreading. 'Buy one meal there and it will last for two or more meals!'
Now the grocers were upset. 'We are losing customers to fast food!' No one said a word. They had signed away their complaints.
***
Six months passed and the corporations continued to complain, but the public was delighted. Their food bills were way down as were there waist sizes. Excitement traveled the country and began to spread to Europe.
Food stores were full again and there was no longer a food shortage.
There was only one minor side effect, as noted by the CDC, people could no longer concentrate as before. Many were fired, or died in traffic accidents on the way to work. The 'happy' part of the recipe was making everyone lackadaisical, so they did nothing, or cared about nothing.
The people who began to rule, were those who ate whole foods, organic foods or home made foods. They thrived on the fresh new crops of produce.
***
The board met one last time, for all that were left were so out of it, they had no idea what was going on. The chair was handed to the director of the organic gardening consortium for Tennessee.
The consortium decided to rule the board full throttle and ejected all the old members. Now there were Vegans and Vegetarians ruling the meat eating continent. They waited for the fall out.
***
There wasn't much of a fall out, really. Fast food addicts died. Busy moms who only cooked packaged foods died as did most of their children.
The lucky ones were those with allergies to gluten and lactose, for they often selected better quality foods.
There was now a glut of healthy food being flown all over the world. The hope was that no one would starve one more day. Sure, there were strongholds of militants, but air drops of food marked 'For US Military Only' were scarfed down and soon the leaders wandered aimlessly through deserts and jungles.
The world was changing; for the better, for once...
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