The Science and Politics of Food
In 1980, the U.S. government issued its first Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They reflected growing concern over the 1970s not only of people having enough food to eat, but about people having too much of the "wrong" foods to eat, like fats, sugars, and salts. Across this resource kit, we've examined similar ways in which scientists and the government communicated recommendations for how U.S. residents should eat.
Food packaging is another way in which messages about food are communicated to eaters. In this reflection, we'll bring together everything we've learned about food science, nutritional policy, feeding kids, and communicating with the public. Your job: find a food package somewhere in your place of learning and analyze it. Places to look include your lunchbox, a friend's lunchbox, a vending machine, your cupboards, your classroom snack stash, and/or the school cafeteria. Once you've found a package to analyze, do your best to answer the questions on the handout below.
Created by: Science History Institute