Reply #114: The 50s and 60s were a heyday for processed foods.

[Left Is Write]

That was the dawn of mixes, boxes, frozen dinners, and "freedom" for the American housewives. Instant potatoes, canned spaghetti sauce, whipped-cream-in-a-can, Rice-A-Roni, soup mix, Cheez Whiz, Kraft singles, frozen pie crust, Pop Tarts, Cool Whip, and other items came to us in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Convenience foods were touted a a boon for busy women. Commercially canned vegetables were considered just as nutritious as fresh.

Consider a diet of sugary cereal, Wonder bread, Kraft singles, wilted lettuce salads, aspic, and instant mashed potatoes.

(I'm not knocking these items introduced mid-century; just pointing out that diets full of processed and packaged foods are certainly not new.)