November 23, 2025
Time Capsule of America’s Food System
By Michael F. Jacobson
In 1975, Catherine Lerza and I, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, published Food for People Not for Profit (Ballantine Books), a comprehensive book about America’s food system.
Now, some five decades later, it is fascinating to see what people were concerned about back then (and what they missed) and how those issues were resolved, ignored, or worsened. Did diet-related diseases become more or less prevalent, did industry become more or less consolidated and competitive, what food policies have been improved or degraded?
As someone who started working on food issues in 1970, I have been astonished by some of the changes… and also astonished by some of the things that did not change. Here are some of those striking statistics:
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Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
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Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
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Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Title Goes here
Notwithstanding many people’s outrage today about the high prices of eggs and milk, since 1975 the price of eggs (adjusted for inflation) has barely changed, while the price of milk dove has dropped in half!
Now, some five decades later, it is fascinating to see what people were concerned about back then (and what they missed) and how those issues were resolved, ignored, or worsened. Did diet-related diseases become more or less prevalent, did industry become more or less consolidated and competitive, what food policies have been improved or degraded?
Some other notable changes
- Organic foods are no longer the laughingstock of the food industry;
- Baby foods are no longer adulterated with water, sugar, and starch;
- Food labels now provide detailed nutrition information but need to be supplemented with the kind of front-of-package warnings that are reducing junk (ahem, ultraprocessed) food sales in several countries;
- Bioengineered crops were unknown 50 years ago but now constitute the vast majority of corn, soybeans, and cotton;
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (the source of artificial trans fat) was considered innocuous but now has been banned because it causes heart disease.
On the other hand:
The marketing of junk foods for children remains unregulated;
- Only a few cities (but an increasing number of countries) tax sugar drinks;
- Nutrition education is still a minor after-thought in medical schools;
- The federal government has never mounted a well-funded dietary-improvement campaign;
- The federal government has failed to restrict sodium in processed and restaurant foods; as many as 100,000 people die every year due to diets high in sodium (mostly from salt in processed and restaurant foods).
I hope you will explore the numbers and graphs below and see what surprises you!
Note that in measuring costs, deaths, and other data, assessment methodologies might have changed over the years. Also, the figures for the amounts of meat, fruit, and other foods we eat are adjusted for losses from the farm to the table, but do not include losses once the foods are purchased by consumers. Therefore, the actual consumption is probably about 10 to 30 percent less than shown. As someone who started working on food issues in 1970, I have been astonished by some of the changes… and also astonished by some of the things that did not change. Here are some of those striking statistics:
Some other notable changes
- Organic foods are no longer the laughingstock of the food industry;
- Baby foods are no longer adulterated with water, sugar, and starch;
- Food labels now provide detailed nutrition information but need to be supplemented with the kind of front-of-package warnings that are reducing junk (ahem, ultraprocessed) food sales in several countries;
- Bioengineered crops were unknown 50 years ago but now constitute the vast majority of corn, soybeans, and cotton;
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (the source of artificial trans fat) was considered innocuous but now has been banned because it causes heart disease.
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1975
Obesity rates
1975
Obesity rates
Food dollars spent away from homeⁱˣ – meals tend to be high in calories, sodium, and saturated fat and low in fiber.ˣ
1975
Obesity rates
1975
Obesity rates
