Profs and Pints Online presents: “Food Fight!” a look back at the political battles that shaped how Americans eat, with Allen Pietrobon, assistant professor of Global Affairs at Trinity Washington University.

[This talk will remain available in recorded form at the link given here for tickets and access.]

What Americans eat has changed dramatically since 1945. The nation transformed from having a relatively wholesome and nourishing food system to having a food culture laden with fats, sugar, and ultra-processed unhealthy foods. As a result, our healthcare system currently spends one trillion dollars annually to combat diet-related diseases, which account for six in ten American deaths.

How did we get here? Hear that question tackled by historian Allen Pietrobon, who previously has given fantastic Profs and Pints talks on the development of American suburbs, our nation’s past pandemics, prohibition, and other subjects.

Beginning at the end of World War II, he’ll focus on watershed moments that radically changed how and what we eat. Among them, the urban riots of 1967-68 helped give rise to a federal policy that fostered the proliferation of fast-food restaurants across America. Government actions aimed at alleviating the economic problems of the 1970s led to our diets being infused with far more meat and ultra-processed foods saturated with fats and sugars. An unholy alliance between the U.S. government, ad agencies, and major food corporations helped to transform America into what food writer Greg Crister calls “the fattest nation on earth.”

Pietrobon also will examine how our dietary choices became more politicized over recent decades, with kale, quinoa, and other “healthy” foods being seen as elitist and liberal and the White House gleefully serving fast-food burgers to guests in 2019 as an ode to what “real” Americans eat.

Today, a new generation of Americans is pushing back against a food system that became ultra-industrialized over the past 70 years. The rise of appealing meat substitutes and a renewed focus on eating healthier hold hope that we might be starting to reverse unhealthy trends.

Whether you watch next to a plate of carrots or a bowl of potato chips, it’s a talk you’ll savor.

Profs & Pints Online: Food Fight!