A Brief History of Food in America

We gained abundance and lost knowledge.

Two hundred years ago, most Americans grew their own food. Today, more than half of our calories come from ultra-processed food, and fewer than 2 in 100 Americans live on a farm. This book traces how that happened: the real problems industrial agriculture solved, what it cost our soil and our health, and how people are finding their way back.

The six eras

1. The producing nation (colonial era to 1860). Most Americans farmed, and knowing your food was a survival skill.

2. The first gap (1860–1906). Railroads and canneries carried food to strangers, adulteration spread, and the first food safety laws followed.

3. The brand era (1900s–1940s). Packages and advertising replaced the grocer, while victory gardens briefly brought food home again.

4. The convenience revolution (1945–1970s). Fertilizer, freezers and supermarkets reshaped how food was grown and bought.

5. The ultra-processed nation (1980s–today). Most of what we eat now comes from factories, with ingredients we can't name.

6. Finding the way back. Farmers markets, regenerative farming and new tools for knowing what's in our food.

Coming March 2027

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