From Roast Beef to Chicken Nuggets: How Technology changed Meat Consumption in Britain in the Twentieth Century

The demand for food in Great Britain grew throughout the nineteenth ccntury as the population expanded. Total numbers increased from 26 m at the 1871 census to 37 m in 1901 and 44.8 m in 1931. By 1901, approximately 14.75 m people lived in the extensive urbanized areas which became known as conurbations. ¹ This meant a requirement for food far in excess of the output of domestic agriculture, especially as so many people were becoming reliant on shops for their food supplies. Imports became essential which in turn was a major stimulus to the development of food technology. An import trade in durable foodstuffs like grain had developed significantly during the nineteenth century but to expand the trade in perishable foodstuffs, which would give greater variety to the diet of the general population, required major changes in technology. British shipping underwent an extensive conversion from sail to steam power and from wooden to iron hulls during the second half of the nineteenth century which reflected Britain's status as the world's leading industrial and maritime power. These changes reduced the time food cargoes spent at sea and facilitated importing meat and dairy produce from the world's newly developing agricultural lands in North America and the Southern Hemisphere, as well as fruit from tropical regions. However, to ship these perishable foods to Britain required some artificial means of preservation during the voyage to maintain appearance, texture, palatability and nutritive qualities. Lowering the temperature while foodstuffs were in store was well known as a means of slowing decay, but the availability of natural ice was limited and seasonal. The demand from Britain's food industries meant imports of natural ice from Scandinavia and North America grew annually to a peak of 0.5 m tons in 1899. ² Beyond that point any increase in the carriage of foodstuffs by sea at low temperatures depended on mechanical systems of refrigeration, though requirements differed according to the commodity carried. Fresh fruit could be picked under-ripe and allowed to ripen progressively during the voyage but meat had to be carried in fully refrigerated conditions to prevent deterioration [autolysis] if it was to be landed fit for sale in urban food markets.