Fashion is often thought to be the defining quality of a generation. But what many people don’t realize is that the dinner table can give just as many clues about a period in time as clothing. Sweet and savory gelatin-based foods were as characteristic of the 1960s as bell-bottoms, go-go boots, and drop-waist dresses. Low-fat diets and farm-to-table foods represented the ’70s as much as peasant blouses, military surplus clothes, and frayed jeans. In the ’80s, aesthetics-obsessed Americans sipped on Diet Coke and snapped up Lean Cuisine from grocery shelves, all while wearing skin-tight Spandex aerobics gear, power suits, and eye-catching jumpsuits. Food and fashion truly go hand in hand.
Unlike the cyclical nature of fashion, which repeats itself over and over again, food innovations tend to build upon one another. We probably wouldn’t have the Big Mac if the Whopper hadn’t come out more than 10 years prior. Food fortification, which started in the 1920s, continued to progress well into the late ’90s, making each generation of Americans a little bit healthier. And food preservation and safety advanced from a relatively simple state into flash-freezing, controlled-atmosphere packaging, irradiation, and even bans on certain food dyes—evidence of growth over the decades in both food technology and in our interest in what we eat.
To learn about the biggest moments in food history every year between 1921 and 2020, Stacker took a look at a variety of news outlets (The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Smithsonian Magazine, Business Insider, etc.), food-specific publications (Eater, Kitchn, Taste of Home, The Daily Meal), and history-focused media (History, Biography). We also looked at notable studies, important food and agriculture policies, and other major changes documented by academic researchers and government agencies. Finally, we read into the histories of major food corporations like Kraft Food, Pepperidge Farm, McDonald’s, Mars, and The Coca-Cola Company to learn about their contributions over the last century.
Grab a snack, then read on to learn more about food history every year since 1921.
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1921: Refrigerators become household appliances
It got a lot easier to keep food fresh at home in the 1920s, when the refrigerator started to become an essential appliance for every kitchen. Manufacturers produced about 5,000 refrigerators in the U.S. in 1921, according to History Magazine (via The Packer). Over the next decade, another 1 million refrigerators were manufactured in the country.
[Pictured: Men stand beside the first Frigidaire, made by Delco Light Company, a subsidiary of General Motors, 1921.]
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1922: First chimichangas are invented
El Charro Cafe, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, invented the chimichanga in 1922. The deep-fried burrito was created by accident when founder Monica Flin plunged a burrito into bubbling fat, creating a delicious mistake many have enjoyed ever since.
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1923: Mars releases Milky Way candy bars
The Mars company debuted Milky Way candy bars in 1923. Despite the galactic name, the brand was actually inspired by malted milkshakes, which were extremely popular at the time, according to Mental Floss.
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1924: Iodine is added to table salt
Producers began voluntarily adding iodine to salt in the U.S. in 1924 in an effort to curb the number of Americans with goiter. The move was promoted by many national health organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association.
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1925: Speakeasies serve up finger foods
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1926: America gets its first canned ham
Hormel introduced America to its first canned ham in 1926. It would be another decade before the company would launch its most famous product, SPAM.
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1927: Girl Scouts publish first s’mores recipe
While the idea for a graham cracker sandwich with roasted marshmallow and chocolate had been around for some time, the first s’mores recipe didn’t make its debut until 1927 in “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” The guidebook, which was intended to teach kids how to be good Girl Scouts, referred to the recipe as “Some More” for another 44 years at least.
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1928: Clarence Birdseye perfects flash-freezing
Inventor Clarence Birdseye developed a double-belt freezer to flash-freeze foods in 1928, according to Eater. It would help frozen meats and produce maintain their peak ripeness while preserving them for longer than they’d otherwise be edible.
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1929: Oscar Meyer invents first “branded” meat
Oscar Meyer created its signature yellow band in 1929, making its products the first “branded” meat available on the market. The label is still used on the company’s packaging today.
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1930: First chocolate chip cookies are baked
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While the concept of brunch had been around since the late 1800s (if not earlier), it first became popular in the U.S. in the 1930s. Hollywood stars on transcontinental train journeys would often stop in Chicago for a late morning meal during that time, and restaurants across the country picked up on the trend.
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1932: 3 Musketeers Bar is invented
The newcomer to the candy aisle in 1932 was the 3 Musketeers Bar. The original candy contained three distinct nougat flavors—strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla—in one package. High vanilla and strawberry costs during WWII caused Mars to alter the bar to contain only one musketeer: chocolate.
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1933: Milk is enriched with vitamin D
Milk producers began enriching their products with vitamin D in 1933, either by irradiating the milk or adding irradiated yeast to the cows’ feeds, in response to recommendations from health groups. Seven years later, they’d start using vitamin D concentrate to enrich the milk—a technique that’s still used today.
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1934: Heinz launches tomato breeding program
Ketchup purveyors Heinz started a special tomato breeding program in 1934. The company recognized that the quality of ketchup depended on growing high-quality tomatoes.
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1935: Kraft Foods buys Vegemite
Already beloved by Australians, Vegemite became American-owned and -produced when Kraft Foods bought the recipe and manufacturing instructions for the yeast extract in 1935, according to What’s Cooking America. The recipe has since been slightly adjusted to include less salt.
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1936: America gets a health food store
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1937: Kraft creates boxed mac and cheese
In 1937, Kraft Foods launched its now-iconic boxed macaroni and cheese. The 19-cent product had enough food for a family of four, which made it extremely popular during the Great Depression. Around 8 million boxes were sold that year, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
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1938: French dressing hits grocery store shelves
Milani’s 1890 French Dressing hit grocery store shelves in the U.S. in 1938, making it the first French dressing to go mainstream. While it takes its name from the European country, French dressing is actually an all-American condiment.
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1939: Government launches food stamp program
In an effort to help low-income families afford food, the federal government launched a food stamp program in 1939. It was in effect for four years, after which the country switched over to ration stamps.
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1940: Government formalizes definition for enriched flour
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1941: General Mills creates Cheerios
General Mills invented the cereal now known as Cheerios in 1941. Originally called “CheeriOats,” the cereal’s distinctive doughnut-shape was created by a special “puffing gun.”
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1942: 75% of all white bread is enriched
Around 75% of all white bread sold in the U.S. was fortified with added vitamins and nutrients by mid-1942. Enrichment of white bread was voluntarily accepted by industries associated with bakeries and their products.
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1943: Pizzeria Uno dreams up deep-dish pizza
To satiate the hunger of Midwesterners, Pizzeria Uno created the first deep-dish pizza in 1943. The sunken, thick-crust pie with sauce on top defined Chicago-style pizza.
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1944: First frozen dinner is born
The year 1944 marked the birth of the world’s first frozen dinners: Strato-Plates. Created by W.L. Maxson Co., the meal featured meat, a potato, and veggies “on a paperboard tray treated with Bakelite resin.” It allowed airlines and the Navy to serve crew and passengers a hot meal.
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1945: Sliced bread makes a comeback
Commercially baked bread was sold as unsliced loaves starting in 1943 due to a shortage of steel during World War II. Sliced bread finally made a comeback in 1945 when the war ended.
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1946: Free lunch becomes available in schools
A federal law led to the creation of the National School Lunch Program in 1946. The initiative would bring free and low-cost lunches to qualified students in schools across the country.
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Margaret Rudkin’s dream of a new state-of-the-art bakery for her company, Pepperidge Farm, was finally realized when she cut the ribbon on a new space in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1947. The bakery helped her streamline production and make Pepperidge Farm the brand it is today.
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1948: General Mills reveals secret ingredient for chiffon cake
Los Angeles insurance agent Harry Baker invented chiffon cake in the 1920s, keeping his recipe under lock and key for 20 years. General Mills bought his recipe in 1947, and a year later, they revealed the delightfully airy cake’s secret ingredient (vegetable oil) in Better Homes and Gardens magazine in May 1948.
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1949: Cake mixes make it big
More than 200 food producers were churning out cake mixes by the end of the 1940s. The majority came from Betty Crocker and Pillsbury.
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1950: Controlled-atmosphere packaging increases shelf life of food
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1951: Bananas Foster is born at Brennan’s
Celebrated New Orleans restaurant Brennan’s needed a way to use surplus bananas in 1951, according to Thrillist. It invented Bananas Foster, a dessert made from bananas flambéed with butter, liqueur, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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1952: Backyard grilling becomes popular
George Stephens, a welder, invented the Weber charcoal kettle grill in 1952. The inexpensive appliance would help propel backyard grilling into a beloved pastime in the U.S., according to Esquire.
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1953: Eggo Waffles pack the freezer section
Eggo Waffles made their way into the freezer section of grocery stores in 1953. At the time, they were called “Froffles”—a mash-up of the words “frozen” and “waffles.” They were rebranded as Eggo two years later.
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1954: California dude ranch invents ranch dressing
Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch on the central California coast, invented ranch dressing in 1954, according to Slate. It became an instant hit with guests, who took bottles of the creamy white stuff home as souvenirs. Less than 20 years later, the brand was sold to the Clorox Company for $8 million.
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1955: Green bean casserole originates at Campbell’s
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1956: Dove launches chocolate-dipped ice cream bars
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1957: Burger King introduces the Whopper
Burger King created the Whopper in 1957—more than a decade before McDonald’s launched the Big Mac. Its original price was just 37 cents.
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1958: First Pizza Hut opens
Wichita, Kansas, welcomed the first Pizza Hut in 1958. The original location has since been turned into a museum at Wichita State University.
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1959: Professor invents machine-harvestable tomato
Jack Hanna, an agronomy professor, bred a “hardy, tough-skinned tomato that could be more readily harvested by machines” in the late 1950s, according to Smithsonian Magazine. It would pave the way for machines to start gathering the majority of tomatoes in California in the coming decades, improving efficiency on farms.
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1960: Gelatin makes its way into every meal
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1961: “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” becomes bestseller
“Mastering the Art of French Cooking” became an instant sensation when it was published in 1961, propelling author Julia Child into the limelight. The home cook would get her own TV show two years later.
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1962: ‘Silent Spring’ raises awareness about pesticide risks
“Silent Spring” hit bookstores in 1962, sparking worries about the potential risks of pesticides used on food. Author and environmental activist Rachel Carson called for an end to the practice of using DDT as a pesticide on food crops.
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1963: Irradiation of flour gets FDA approval
The Food and Drug Administration gave food producers the green light to start irradiating wheat and wheat flour in 1963, according to the Institute of Food Technologists. The technique would help eliminate pests from the products.
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1964: Buffalo wings debut at Western New York bar
Teressa Bellissimo, owner of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, invented buffalo wings in 1964, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Now a Super Bowl staple, the wings were created on a whim after the bar received a delivery of chicken wings instead of the necks they had ordered.
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1965: Pillsbury Doughboy makes first TV appearance
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1966: Peet’s Coffee founder debuts French roast coffee
Alfred Peet, the man behind Peet’s Coffee & Tea, jolted Americans out of their preference for light-roast coffee when he introduced a French roast in 1966. The java was inspired by European-style coffee, which was darker, less acidic, and sometimes even slightly burnt.
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1967: Pop-Tarts are frosted
It didn’t seem like Pop-Tarts could be much more popular after the first shipment of the breakfast treats in the U.S. were completely snapped up within two weeks in 1964. However, Kellogg’s took things to the next level in 1967 when it debuted the first frosted Pop-Tarts. The brand’s bestsellers are now Frosted Strawberry and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon.
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1968: The Big Mac goes national
A year after McDonald’s franchisee Jim Delligatti devised the Big Mac, McDonald’s took the double-decker burger national in 1968. It helped turn low-grossing locations into some of the most profitable in the McDonald’s system.
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1969: Californians go wild for “Animal Style” fries
Legend has it that In-N-Out invented its famous “Animal Style” fries in 1969 after the chefs at the Baldwin Park, California, location needed a name for the sauce that its boisterous surfer clientele put on their food. It’s one of the best-known items of the fast food chain’s secret menu today.
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1970: Nutrition expert tells Senate that cereal isn’t healthy
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1971: Chez Panisse kickstarts farm-to-table movement
Chef and food activist Alice Waters cut the ribbon on Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, in 1971. The legendary restaurant, which focused on local, sustainable agriculture, is widely credited with launching the farm-to-table movement.
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1972: First female chef heads big-name hotel kitchen
Leslie Revsin was hired as a “kitchen man”—a low-level position—at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1972, according to The New York Times. She would rapidly climb the ladder and go on to become the first woman to lead the kitchen of a major hotel, as well as a cookbook author and television chef.
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Fortune cookies became a mainstay in Chinese takeout after inventor Shuck Yee developed a machine to crimp the dough into the distinctive crescent shape in 1973. Legend has it that Japanese restaurateurs in Los Angeles or San Francisco first invented the fortune cookie in the 1800s.
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1974: Gerber launches food for grownups
Baby product company Gerber made a brief foray into food for grownups in 1974 with the launch of Gerber Singles. The products consisted of single-serving pureed foods for adults but were packaged in jars similar to those that contained baby food. The product was met with a cold response from consumers and was ultimately pulled from the company’s lineup.
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1975: Food program for women and children becomes permanent
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1976: FDA bans red dye No. 2
The Food and Drug Administration banned red dye No. 2 in 1976 after research found a correlation between the food coloring and cancer. The Mars company stopped producing red M&Ms (which did not contain red dye No. 2) at that point to ease customers’ worries.
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1977: Americans switch to low-fat diets
After the government published the first edition of “The Dietary Goals for the United States” in 1977, Americans overwhelmingly switched to a low-fat diet. The fat-replacers used in many processed foods during this era may have led to poorer health among Americans, according to University of Connecticut researcher Julia Reedy.
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1978: Ben & Jerry’s founders take ice cream-making course
A $5 correspondence course taught Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen everything they needed to know about starting an ice cream empire in 1978. Later that year, they’d open their first Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in Vermont, and the rest is history.
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1979: Associated Press documents California Roll
While two different chefs claim to have invented the California Roll, Los Angeles-based Ken Seusa scored the first documentation of this type of sushi in an article from the Associated Press in 1979. The all-American creation, which puts the seaweed inside the roll, is an unconventional take on sushi.
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1980: Modified-atmosphere packaging becomes available
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1981: Lean Cuisine sells out
Lean Cuisine sold so quickly when it was launched in 1981 that its parent company, Nestle, was forced to ration the meals among retailers. The under-300-calorie entrees tripled sales projections in their first year.
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1982: Diet Coke enters the market
In response to growing demand for low- or no-calorie foods, the Coca-Cola Company released Diet Coke in 1982. By the end of the following year, the drink would become the top soda brand among women.
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1983: Microwave popcorn becomes available across the U.S.
Microwave popcorn became a sensation when it made its way to supermarket shelves across the U.S. in 1983, according to The New York Times. By 1986, sales of the movie night snack would hit $250 million.
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1984: Rosa Mexicano whips up tableside guacamole
New York City-based Mexican restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano pioneered the tableside guacamole trend in 1984. It turned a typical appetizer (chips and guac) into an entertaining experience for diners.
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1985: Meat producers use irradiation to make pork safer
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1986: Farmer invents baby carrots
Veggie lovers could get their carrots in a convenient snack-size form in 1986 when produce farmer Mike Yurosek created the world’s first baby carrots. The technique of smoothing otherwise imperfect carrots with a potato peeler helped reduce food waste.
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1987: Snapple offers bottled iced tea
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1988: Microbiologist creates ice cream balls with cryogenic technology
Microbiologist Curt Jones used cryogenic technology to create mini multicolored ice cream balls he called Dippin’ Dots in 1988. The fun-to-eat treat would become a staple snack at theme parks in the 1990s.
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1989: Supermarkets pull Chilean grapes from shelves
Supermarkets in the U.S. pulled Chilean grapes from their shelves in 1989 after a fruit import was found to have two cyanide-laced grapes from the South American country. Chile had previously been the go-to place for out-of-season fruits in the U.S.
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1990: Government sets standards for nutrition labels
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1991: “Not from concentrate” juice becomes commercialized
The 1990s saw the rise of a new product in grocery store refrigerators: “not from concentrate” orange juice. Despite being branded as fresh and pure, commercial orange juice still needed processed flavor packs to mimic the taste of fresh juice.
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1992: Government introduces food pyramid
The food guide pyramid made its debut in the U.S. in 1992. The illustrated guide on healthy eating was aimed at helping Americans get enough nutrients and avoid consuming too much food.
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1993: The Food Network launches on cable TV
Cable TV got a channel entirely dedicated to food when the Food Network launched in 1993. It was first branded as the Television Food Network because the Cooking Channel and The Food Network were not available at the time.
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1994: FDA gives GMOs the green light
The Flavr Savr tomato earned the Food and Drug Administration’s first genetically modified food approval in 1994. The tomato was designed to resist potential damage during shipping and maintain ripeness for weeks.
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1995: DiGiorno disrupts the frozen pizza market
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1996: FDA mandates addition of folic acid to enriched grain
The Food and Drug Administration added folic acid to the list of nutrients that must be included in grain products labeled as “enriched” in 1996. The move was an effort to help reduce birth defects.
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1997: Hudson Beef recalls 25 million pounds of meat
An E. coli contamination that made at least 16 people sick led to a recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef from Hudson Beef in 1997—the largest food recall up until that point in history. The recall prompted Burger King to end its contract with Hudson.
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1998: Red Bull energizes Americans
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1999: ‘Sex and the City’ makes Cosmos trendy
The Cosmo—vodka and cranberry juice—became a trendy cocktail after Samantha ordered one at a wedding in the second season of “Sex and the City” in 1999. The show would mention it several more times, increasing its popularity.
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2000: Heinz creates rainbow-colored ketchup
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2001: Pizza Hut delivers to outer space
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2002: Government releases USDA Organic Seal
Amid the rising popularity of organic foods, the Department of Agriculture launched the USDA Organic Seal in 2002. Food producers must adhere to a strict set of standards, such as avoiding certain pesticides, in order to use the seal on their foods.
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2003: Starbucks launches the pumpkin spice latte
Starbucks’ director of espresso Peter Duke developed the pumpkin spice latte in 2003. He had no idea it would go on to become the company’s best-selling seasonal beverage in history.
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2004: FDA issues massive almond recall
The Food and Drug Administration issued a recall of millions of pounds of almonds amid a salmonella outbreak in 2004, according to the Associated Press. The contaminated nuts made at least 25 people sick.
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2005: New coating keeps apples fresh for longer
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2006: Michael Pollan publishes ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’
Author Michael Pollan sparked a nationwide discussion on the way America should eat when he published “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” in 2006. The book earned Pollan a James Beard Award.
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2007: Locavores seize the spotlight
The term “locavore,” used to describe a person who only eats food grown close to home, was awarded the title of Oxford University Press’ “Word of the Year” in 2007. It gave recognition to the burgeoning interest in the local food movement.
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2008: Food prices spike 45%
The world food price index climbed a staggering 45% in 2008, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The higher prices were the result of swings in the economy, shocks to the climate, and a shift in investment funds to agriculture commodities.
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2009: Robert Wang invents the Instant Pot
Inventor Robert Wang invented the Instant Pot in 2009. It offered home cooks a combination of a pressure cooker and slow cooker in a single device and became one of the hottest cooking trends of the decade.
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2010: Food makers fish for likes on Instagram
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2011: Greek yogurt takes the U.S. by storm
Americans developed a preference for thicker yogurt in the mid-to-late 2000s. Greek yogurt climbed from a $60 million industry in the U.S. in 2005 to a staggering $1.5 billion business in 2011.
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2012: Meal kits become big business
Blue Apron, Plated, Hello Fresh, and other meal kit services became one of the biggest food trends in the U.S. in 2012. These services took in more than $1 billion in sales by 2015.
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2013: Cronut creates a craze
New York City baker Dominique Ansel released the cronut in 2013. The fusion pastry, which combined the features of doughnuts and croissants, created a craze—customers waited on line for hours, and scalpers tried reselling the treats at a huge markup.
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2014: Snacking becomes the norm
More than half of U.S. adults ate at least three snacks daily in 2014, an increase from just one in five adults who snacked that much in 2010, according to the Institute of Food Technologists. On average, people ate 2.8 in-between-meal snacks per day in 2014.
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2015: Breakfast goes all day at McDonald’s
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2016: Whole30 diet surges on Google
Whole30 became one of the most popular diets to try in 2016. That January, searches for the term “Whole30” spiked on Google. The diet involves cutting things like dairy, sugar, and legumes from your meals for a month to “reset your body and cravings.”
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2017: Kale sales soar
Once a humble leafy green, kale was elevated to a cool food in 2017 due to its nutrient density and versatility. That year, farmers in the U.S. harvested 15,325 acres of kale—more than twice as much as was harvested in 2012, according to the Department of Agriculture.
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2018: People ditch dairy in favor of plant-based milks
Dairy milk sales took a $1.1 billion nosedive in 2018, according to The Daily Meal. Instead of animal-based beverages, people started reaching for alternative milk from plant-based sources like coconuts, oats, cashews, and almonds.
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2019: Fake meat becomes ubiquitous
Faux meats, like those from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, started to become widely available in 2019. Mainstream fast-food joints including Burger King, White Castle, and Dunkin Donuts started offering vegan burgers and other plant-based products to their increasingly health-conscious customers.
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2020: Pandemic changes how we eat
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