Controversies , Trends

Controversy 

Food Additives : Adulteration was happening until around the 1920's. Since then the use of legally sanctioned additives has shown up more often.  However, many people feel that the additives within the food could raise health issues.  As additives are inorganic and sometimes dangerous they also make the meat or whatever product it is used on more plump or more attractive to buy or eat.

Trends

The Decade of No Alcohol : During the 1920's Prohibition was occurring.  It affected people and society in many ways. It affected cookbooks, restaurants and the chefs . The way it affected cookbooks because many books included whiskey or wine and the fact that alcohol 

Advertising

In the 1920's as previously mentioned in the last post named Food Magazines , advertising was a big part in the food industry during the 1920's. Unlike today, where these brands have been trusted for many years in the 1920's they were just coming out and no one knew what to use or eat.  The major magazine Woman's Home Companion exerted a list of products that they advertised in their magazine during the 1920's.   This is the list that they provided :
 January 1920 "Woman's Home Companion" Magazine

• Campbells Ox Tail Soup
• Nestles Milk Food
• Heinz Tomato Ketchup
• Uncle Johns Syrup
• Snowdrift Vegetable Shortening
• None Such Mince Meat
• Swans Down Cake Flour
• National Biscuit Company
• Log Cabin Syrup
• Heinz Spaghetti
• Van Camps Pork and Beans
• Van Camps Peanut Butter
• Del Monte Canned Fruits and Vegetables
• Pompeian Olive Oil
• Faust Instant Coffee
• Rumford Baking Powder
• Grape-Nuts
• Sunkist Lemons
• Diamond Crystal Salt
• Dromedary Coconut

January 1927 "Woman's Home Companion" Magazine

• Campbells Vegetable-Beef Soup
• Libbys Hawaiian Pineapple
• Maxwell House Coffee
• Del Monte Fruits
• Cream Of Wheat
• Del Monte Spinach
• Armours Star Ham
• Del Monte Peas
• Royal Baking Powder
• Seald Sweet Oranges
• Jenny Wren Flour
• Colmans Mustard
• Hawaiian Pineapple
• Fleischmann's Yeast
• Aunt Jemima Pancake Flour
• Bottled Carbonated Beverages
• Postum Cereal
• Diamond Crystal Salt
• Steero Bouillon Cubes
• Brer Rabbit Molasses
• Bordens Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• Squibbs Cod Liver Oil
• Mellins Food
• Bordens Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• Premier Salad Dressing
• Minute Tapioca

Advertising is very important and is the reason why most of the brands on these lists are still around and very popular.

Food Magaines

Advertising for food in the 1920's was very descriptive.  Ads included well detailed explanations on how to use the product, what it is made of, & convincing statements. These ads also showed delicious displays of the product, its health benefits, & their catchy slogans.  With the placement of these slogans, convincing statements & other things the companies make their product more appealing to the customers.

When you read one of these vintage articles nowadays you would see how hard these manufacturers try to sell their product.  They try to portray the product as a necessity instead of a want so that the customer would think that they NEED their product. Using this method proved to be very successful in the 1920's.

Examples of famous magazines during this time period include :

•  The American Food Journal
• Good Housekeeping
• The Home Economist
• Women's Home Companion 

These magazines were the main source of advertisement for these manufacturers and companies.  They provided them with the ability to access their customers through their daily entertainment or readings. Using this way of getting their product out they established a " common bond " with their customers in order to make a bond that won't break. 

The Commercial & Processed Food Decade

The 1920's was the decade of commercial food and processed food , this decade introduced many new and still loved things. Many popular foods and drinks that were first introduced in the 1920's are still around.  Here's a short list of foods that were being introduced during this time :

• Baby Ruth Candy Bar (1920)
• Wonder Bread (1920)
• Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink (1923)
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1923)
• Welch's Grape Jelly (1923)
• Popsicles (1924)
• Wheaties (1924)
• Hostees Cakes (1927)
• Kool-Aid (1927)
• Peter Pan Peanut Butter (1928)
• Velveeta Cheese (1928)

These foods have somewhat decreased in popularity due to health reasons.  Advertising of already established brands with new creative food ideas was also very common.  During the 1920's there weren't many food and cooking magazines but the few they had advertised the manufactured and freshly made foods of that time.  If you were to compare the magazines to today's you could see how the food world has evolved.   Many new ways to cook things, ideas on recipes and variations to culinary arts as a whole has affected the food and cooking world. However, old ways of cooking and old recipes will still be used forever as they were the building blocks to get us where we are today.