Note: A picture that was included with this story when it was originally posted has been removed.

Many people have listened to a lecture by their mothers or health teachers about eating the food at fast food restaurants. Most people know that it’s not good for them, but what is it going to take to actually make consumers stop eating it? Many people rely on fast food as easy meals, but most people don’t know exactly what they are putting in their mouths.

For Lily Liermann, a senior at LHS, it was food poisoning from a fast food restaurant that is stopping her from returning to the restaurant. On a Wednesday night in September, Liermann decided to have dinner at Chick-Fil-A in Vernon Hills, and there was something wrong about her spicy chicken sandwich.

“I had nothing to eat that day except Chick-Fil-A,” Liermann said. So, she is sure that it was the Chick-Fil-A sandwich that woke her up at 2 a.m. “I was throwing up all night!” she said.

According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, “bacteria and viruses are the most common causes of food poisoning.” So, what’s going wrong at Chick-Fil-A?

Chick-Fil-A’s website displays everything in its menu, also showing the ingredients of their food. Comparing the ingredients in their classic chicken sandwich to a list of the top most harmful ingredients in food listed in an article written by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a doctor and New York Times bestselling author on many subjects of health, there were many similarities.

One of the most harmful ingredients is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). This is a flavor enhancement in processed food. The more processed the food is, the more MSG it will contain. This ingredient isn’t listed once, but twice, in Chick-Fil-A’s classical chicken sandwich.

That is not the only bad thing showing up in their food. Most people don’t know that eating more than five grams of lighter fluid can kill you. Well, lighter fluid is another thing showing up in chicken nuggets at fast food restaurants, including Chick-Fil-A.

Lighter fluid is a highly flammable, colorless, easily liquified gas used in cigarette lighters. Lighter fluid is just the common name for this chemical. Technically, it is called Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, and is a very toxic gas. The FDA allows no more than .02% of the oil in processed foods to be TBHQ. But taking in too much of this can lead to the end of one’s life. Chick-Fil-A’s website does not mention how much TBHQ is in their food; it is a chemical listed in their chicken but obviously there is not enough in the food to kill someone.

The dangerous ingredients in Chick-Fil-A’s food are leading to many food poisoning diagnosis. Looking on many different stories told on food blogs about food poisoning across the country, it shows more people all over America have been food poisoned by Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwiches recently.

Addy Arnold, a sophomore and Chick-Fil-A lover, has had outdated lemonade served to her at Chick-Fil-A, but will in fact continue to eat at Chick-Fil-A because it is one of her favorite places to eat.

Liermann, however, said, “No, I would not eat there because I am too afraid to eat their food!”