For me, I give rumors some bearing so I avoid fastfoods while the rumor is hot. But after sometime when the rumors die down, I patronize fastfoods again. In fairness to rumors, there was this outlet of a bakeshop that had served spoiled food. When media investigated, the staff admitted because the customer had a photo of the food in question. That outlet is now closed.
I am very cautious about the food industry anyway. So when all of these stories come out regarding food chains and fast food, I pay attention. I still do eat fast food, because I don't have the best cooking skills, and fast food tastes delicious in the majority; I won't lie. But I have changed what I will order from certain places according to some of the stories that come out.
I eat fast food as and when I crave it, pretty much how I deal with any other type of naughty food. There'll always be some who will shoot down different foods, whether healthy or otherwise. I decide what I eat, and my belief is "everything in moderation"
I must say I love fast food, I think it is extreme to stop eating any sort of fast food. For example, Subway is a healthier fast food option, some will offer salads, some are actually healthy (like Chipottle!). I have not been eating fast food only because I am on a diet and have been eating lots of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. But once in a while I don't think it is a problem having fast food.
Not extreme at all.. if it is, then everyone in the history of the world, until very recently, was extreme lol. These foods and most on the shelf in every store are recently invented and proven to harm. Fact is, most people eating fast food, are eating similar things at home (lots of salt, sugar, oils, preservatives etc) and so, not eating in moderation at all. The typical diet is far more extreme.. because people put it ahead of their health and all the risks they know are very real. That's called addiction. To each their own, of course! I just get a chuckle out of people saying it's extreme to prefer health.
I still eat fast food even after all the rumors. Why? Because I like it. Of course I do not eat it everyday, nothing beats home cooked meals. But sometimes, you just want to relax and not cook and have something tasty to eat. Then there is fast food. Everything should just be in moderation. I probably would not want my son to eat fast food most of the time but during children's parties, fast foods are almost always the venues. So maybe he can have it once in a while.
More so than the actual rumors that hit the news and papers though, I was much more inclined to stop eating certain meals from certain fast food chain places when they seemed to change the ingredients of some of their foods, so that they were overly chewy, and had elastic-type pieces of whatever it was within it.