Combat Ready Kitchen, with Anastasia Marx de Salcedo

Did you know that much of the science used in creating processed foods was developed courtesy of the U.S. military? Armies have sought better ways to preserve, store, and transport edibles since the days of Napoleon, and, as part of this quest, the U.S. army spearheaded the invention of energy bars, restructured meat, extended-life bread, cling wrap, cheese powder, TV dinners, active dry yeast, instant coffee, and much more. After World War II, as part of our national policy of preparedness, the Defense Department enlisted the help of huge corporations such as ADM, ConAgra, General Mills, Hershey, Hormel, Mars, Nabisco, Reynolds, Smithfield, Swift, Tyson, and Unilever. But the help came with a catch. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, the author of Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat, instructs on the ways those traits most prized in soldier sustenance—imperishability, durability, affordability, and appeal to a broad range of palates—have ended up dominating our grocery store shelves and refrigerator cases, often to the detriment of consumer health.