Food: From Communal to Industrial...and Back?

In the early 20th century and before, most people lived near the farms that produced their food, or produced their food themselves. Many rural communities shared food, especially for use in folk traditions like shivaries. Neighbors would often borrow or simply take food from each other without hesitation or guilt (Kinkead 241). Throughout the 20th century, this phenomenon dissipated as urban centers grew and people flocked from rural areas to cities. The days of communal food systems passed as a select few conventional agriculture operations grew in scale while smaller operations died out.

Under this new system up until the 1990's, basic nutritional wisdom mostly consisted of eating vegetables and the proper proportions of protein, grains, dairy, etc. Some health food stores had popped up, but were a rare sight. The fuss over conventional versus natural or organic became more mainstream around the turn of the century. Founded in 1992, the Environmental Working Group puts out a “dirty dozen” list every year—the conventional fruits and vegetables sampled to contaminate the most pesticides. They also produce a “clean 15” list of conventional produce with low pesticides that they do not insist on buying organically. This and other efforts brought greater concern about the use of pesticides. More recently, a hot debate has also emerged over hormones and antibiotics used in animals. This has led to a rise in grass fed beef, free range chickens, and naturally raised pork, among others (Sinatra). The increasingly common reservations about conventional food have progressively altered the market. Many mainstream grocery stores such as Smith's now feature entire “organic” sections. Despite the higher cost of organic products, they have shown to be profitable because individuals are willing to pay for them.

Another facet of the changing landscape of food is the gluten-free trend. Initially a response to those diagnosed with Celiac disease, it has since grown into a huge movement. Many people now report a non-Celiac gluten sensitivity. There is some controversy over whether many people that don't need to are adapting gluten-free diets and become gluten intolerant as a result, while they weren't necessarily on the onset. Despite this, gluten-free also often has its own isle in grocery stores and supermarkets. By 2016, the gluten-free market is projected to acquire $15 billion in annual sales (Brody).

With these developments, both positive and controversial, the food system is coming full circle. There is a growing rejection of generic industrial produce and meat. People like knowing where their food comes from. They are favoring wholesome and natural over uniform, large and prepackaged. More individuals are becoming conscious of exactly what they are eating these days. While the days of communal food and shivaries have passed, the local food movement is gaining traction. Perhaps in a few decades we will be living similar lives to the rural Americans of centuries past, with rooftop gardens in cities instead of wide farms.

Brody, Jane E. “When Gluten Sensitivity Isn't Celiac Disease.” Well. The New York Times. 6 October 2014.

Kinkead, Joyce, Evelyn Funda and Lynne S. McNeill. Farm: A Multimodal Reader. Utah State University Department of English. Fountainhead Press, 2014.

Sinatra, Stephen. “Why is Grass-Fed Meat Better?” Heart MD Institute. 2015.