When was processed food introduced

By the 20 th century, canned food was common but it mostly supplemented diets rather than predominating at the table. This was in part because processed food was more expensive than fresh food. During World War II when nearly full employment brought canned goods and packaged foods within economic reach for more, rationing of canned goods limited their use in American kitchens. After the war, it was a different story.

Where did women buy canned goods? From the supermarket. Between and , the number of supermarkets in the United States doubled to over 2,, with most of the expansion occurring outside central cities.

Supermarkets anchored a new post-war housing model. After World War II, planned communities sprang up across the country. Levittown on Long Island, in , was the first of many. Marketed towards veterans eligible for low-interest, government backed mortgages, tens of thousands of families moved into the suburbs. The new suburban homes were constructed with the latest in modern technology, including the all-electric kitchen. The modern s kitchen included an electric range, refrigerator-freezer, dishwasher, washer and dryer, and an assortment of small appliances like skillets, blenders, and mixers.

Consumers could even buy a Radarange microwave oven in the s—though few did due to the exorbitant cost. Many of the appliances were marketed with cookbooks to teach women how to use them. A housewife born in and living in a suburban tract house in did not grow up surrounded by electric technology.

Her mother may have had a refrigerator, but it did not have a freezer with a separate door. Post-war economic prosperity encouraged conspicuous consumption.

Processed foods, easily and quickly assembled into meals using electric appliances, became standard fare. Grocery bills went up as women happily purchased more and more convenience foods. Pingback: Health and happiness — Nathan's Blog. We Do - Earth You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email.

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Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. We Bought A Zoo! Follow Following. Modern Pioneer Mom Join 48 other followers. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Other inventors and merchants built on this method to eventually develop the tin can. The tin can would become particularly popular with the start of World War I and the high demand for cheap, long-lasting, transportable food for soldiers.

Throughout the s, a number of rapid, important developments led to food processing as we know it today. Just as WWI popularized the tin can at the start of the century, WWII and the space race in the middle of the century helped to speed up the development of ready-to-eat packaged meals.

During this time, the working middle class also began to expand around the world, bringing increased demand for fast meals with a long shelf-life. New processes as well as new ingredients and new appliances contributed to the history of food processing in the 20th century. Spray drying, evaporation, freeze drying and the use of preservatives made it easier to package different types of foods and keep them on the shelf.

Artificial sweeteners and colors helped to make these preserved foods more palatable. The home oven, microwave, blender and other appliances provided an easy way to quickly prepare these meals. Factories and mass production techniques made it possible to quickly produce and package foods. These developments paved the way for globally popular foods like frozen dinners, instant noodle cups, baking mixes, and more. Though processed foods were fast and affordable, concerns began to rise about their nutritional value in the late 20th and early 21st century.

Many preservation processes reduce the vitamin and mineral content of otherwise healthy foods. Added fat, sugar and oil increases calorie content without increasing nutritional value. Concerns about preservatives and their long-term health effects began to rise. The toll of disposable plastic packaging also began to rise. Though food processing made many foods easier to buy and prepare, there were trade-offs that had, so far, not been addressed.

In , the USDA studied the nutrient content of foods prepared in varying ways.