Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry

Anna Zeide

ISBN 10: 0520322762 / ISBN 13: 9780520322769

Published by University of California Press, 2019

About this Item

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Seller Inventory # B9780520322769

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520322762
• ISBN 13: 9780520322769
• Binding: Paperback / softback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 363 grams

About this title

Synopsis

History | Food Studies

A century and a half ago, when the food industry was first taking root, few consumers trusted packaged foods. Americans had just begun to shift away from eating foods that they grew themselves or purchased from neighbors. With the advent of canning, consumers were introduced to foods produced by unknown hands and packed in corrodible metal that seemed to defy the laws of nature by resisting decay.
 
Since that unpromising beginning, the American food supply has undergone a revolution, moving away from a system based on fresh, locally grown goods to one dominated by packaged foods. How did this come to be? How did we learn to trust that food preserved within an opaque can was safe and desirable to eat? Anna Zeide reveals the answers through the story of the canning industry, taking us on a journey to understand how food industry leaders leveraged the powers of science, marketing, and politics to win over a reluctant public, even as consumers resisted at every turn.

About the Author

Anna Zeide is Assistant Professor of History at Oklahoma State University, where her research, teaching, and community activism focus on food and food systems.