From Plain Fare to Fusion Food : British Diet From the 1890s to the 1990s

Simple meals made from a limited range of industrially processed foodstuffs constituted the 'plain fare' which most people in Britain ate from the 1890s until after the Second World War. Dietary surveys show that when wages were low and social conditions poor, health was affected and support the view that malnutrition and dietary deficiencies existed during the first half of the twentieth century. Increasing knowledge of essential nutrients such as vitamins brought scientists into conflict with civil servants, particularly during the Great War and the depression of the interwar years. Wars put great strains on Britain's supplies of food, much of which was imported. In the Great War, civilians suffered unjustifiably before food rationing was finally introduced. The widely held view that the science of nutrition informed government policy in the Second World War is shown to be a myth, since dietary inequalities continued and, by the mid-1940s, children's growth was affected. The technological revolution in food processing, which gathered momentum when rationing was finally abolished in the 1950s, led to the growth of supermarkets, frozen foods and fast foods. By the 1990s, many traditional patterns of eating had been replaced by an ethnic and fusion food restaurant culture. It has been accompanied by new concerns over food safety and health issues- heart disease, obesity - and by an 'alternative foods' backlash. The irresistible question is: are we any better off? DEREK J. ODDY is emeritus professor of economic and social history, University of Westminster. An account of one hundred years of diet (including political influences) and its reflection in the population's health - from wartime deprivation to fast food overkill.Simple meals made from a limited range of industrially processed foodstuffs constituted the'plain fare'which most people in Britain ate from the 1890s until after the Second World War. Dietary surveys show that when wages were low and social conditions poor, health was affected and support the view that malnutrition and dietary deficiencies existed during the first half of the twentieth century. Increasing knowledge of essential nutrients such as vitamins brought scientists into conflict with civil servants, particularly during the Great War and the depression of the interwar years.Wars put great strains on Britain's supplies of food, much of which was imported. In the Great War, civilians suffered unjustifiably before food rationing was finally introduced. The widely held view that the science of nutrition informed government policy in the Second World War is shown to be a myth, since dietary inequalities continued and, by the mid-1940s, children's growth was affected.The technological revolution in food processing, which gathered momentum when rationing was finally abolished in the 1950s, led to the growth of supermarkets, frozen foods and fast foods. By the 1990s, many traditional patterns of eating had been replaced by an ethnic and fusion food restaurant culture. It has been accompanied by new concerns over food safety and health issues- heart disease, obesity - and by an'alternative foods'backlash. The irresistible question is: are we any better off? DEREK J. ODDY is emeritus professor of economic and social history, University of Westminster. Simple Meals Made From A Limited Range Of Industrially Processed Foodstuffs Constituted The 'plain Fare' Which Most People In Britain Ate From The 1890s Until After The Second World War. Dietary Surveys Show That When Wages Were Low And Social Conditions Poor, Health Was Affected, And Support The View That Malnutrition And Dietary Deficiencies Existed During The First Half Of The Twentieth Century. Increasing Knowledge Of Essential Nutrients Such As Vitamins Brought Scientists Into Conflict With Civil Servants, Particularly During The Great War And The Depression Of The Interwar Years. Wars Put Great Strains On Britain's Supplies Of Food, Much Of Which Was Imported. In The Great War, Civilians Suffered Unjustifiably Before Food Rationing Was Finally Introduced. The Widely Held View That The Science Of Nutrition Informed Government Policy In The Second World War Is Shown To Be A Myth, Since Dietary Inequalities Continued And, By The Mid-1940s, Children's Growth Was Affected.--book Jacket. 1. Plain Fare: Diet During Industrialization -- 2. Food Supply, Shops And Food Safety, 1890 To 1914 -- 3. Nutrition, Environment And Health Before 1914 -- 4. The Great War And Its Aftermath, 1914 To 1921: Discontent On The Food Front -- 5. Food And Food Technology In The Interwar Years -- 6. The Question Of Malnutrition Between The Wars -- 7. The Second World War: The Myth Of A Planned Diet, 1939 To 1950 -- 8. The Revival Of Choice: Food Technology, Retailing And Eating In Postwar Britain -- 9. Food Consumption, Nutrition And Health Since The Second World War -- 10. Overview: Change In The Twentieth Century. Derek J. Oddy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 248-261) And Index. Simple meals made from a limited range of industrially processed foodstuffs constituted the 'plain fare' which most people in Britain ate from the 1890s until after the Second World War. Dietary surveys show that when wages were low and social conditions poor, health was affected and support the view that malnutrition and dietary deficiencies existed during the first half of the twentieth century. Increasing knowledge of essential nutrients such as vitamins brought scientists into conflict with civil servants, particularly during the Great War and the depression of the interwar years. Wars put great strains on Britain's supplies of food, much of which was imported. In the Great War, civilians suffered unjustifiably before food rationing was finally introduced. The widely held view that the science of nutrition informed government policy in the Second World War is shown to be a myth, since dietary inequalities continued and, by the mid-1940s, children's growth was affected. The technological revolution in food processing, which gathered momentum when rationing was finally abolished in the 1950s, led to the growth of supermarkets, frozen foods and fast foods. By the 1990s, many traditional patterns of eating had been replaced by an ethnic and fusion food restaurant culture. It has been accompanied by new concerns over food safety and health issues - heart disease, obesity - and by an 'alternative foods' backlash. The irresistible question are we any better off? DEREK J. ODDY is emeritus professor of economic and social history, University of Westminster. This account of the British diet over the past century explodes a number of myths & draws attention to modern concerns. It shows how the 'plain fare' of a hundred years ago lacked essential nutrients & how governments consistently failed to address the problem until long after World War II