After the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, second possibly to the invention of soap, I'd venture to say access to cheap, plentiful food is what created the "American Dream" and the thriving middle class we all seem to mourn these days.
It was brilliant, really. It made America the superpower it is, and it never quite gets the credit it's due.
But it came at the cost of all kinds of food issues we're really understanding now. Factory farms, corn subsidies, pesticides, demonization of fat, preservatives, and fast food all came out of that era.
But in the Information Age, we get to know a lot more, and a lot of what we get to know is the long-term effects of fast, cheap food.
So now we demand that food also be safe. Not just safe in the FDA parts-per-million-of-rat-feces-in-peanut-butter safe, but safe in the way that food is processed between the farm and our mouths.
The average consumer is so much more educated now about food than they were in yesteryear, and because of that we're willing to put more of our hard-earned money towards "healthier" options (like Chipolte vs Taco Bell) even while not being willing to give up the "fast" and "access."
The educated consumer was bound to hurt some and bolster others. Chipolte, Shake Shack, etc., are the winners.
For now.
It was brilliant, really. It made America the superpower it is, and it never quite gets the credit it's due.
But it came at the cost of all kinds of food issues we're really understanding now. Factory farms, corn subsidies, pesticides, demonization of fat, preservatives, and fast food all came out of that era.
But in the Information Age, we get to know a lot more, and a lot of what we get to know is the long-term effects of fast, cheap food.
So now we demand that food also be safe. Not just safe in the FDA parts-per-million-of-rat-feces-in-peanut-butter safe, but safe in the way that food is processed between the farm and our mouths.
The average consumer is so much more educated now about food than they were in yesteryear, and because of that we're willing to put more of our hard-earned money towards "healthier" options (like Chipolte vs Taco Bell) even while not being willing to give up the "fast" and "access."
The educated consumer was bound to hurt some and bolster others. Chipolte, Shake Shack, etc., are the winners.
For now.