ABSTRACT
Before the nineteenth century, only the elite could enjoy white bread and meat on a daily basis. These and many other foods have come to be regarded as everyday staples in Western society because of the rise of industrial mass production. Workers in continental Europe and the United States faced similar deprivations, as entire generations missed out on the benefits from industrial wealth. Industrialization also further shifted the global balance of power, a process begun with the Columbian exchange, by allowing Europeans to exploit more efficiently the material wealth of distant continents. The factory system, which was designed to achieve mass production through mechanization, found ready application in the food-processing industry. Mechanical refrigeration provided another crucial breakthrough, allowing urban consumers greater access to fresh beef. In the United States, a seemingly endless stream of novelties began migrating from food science laboratories to home kitchens.
