As American As Budweiser and Pickles? Nation-Building in American Food Industries By Donna R. Gabbacia.

As American As Budweiser and Pickles?

Nation-Building in American Food

Industries

By Donna R. Gabbacia

Food as Culture

Food is an integral part of every culture

People identify with food and define themselves by traditional dishes

Food is part of ethnic and racial diversity

Most cultures have unique dishes that reflect their history and embody their

way of life

Food says something about the marketplace & the industry of nations

American Culture… Oh Wait…

Americans lack traditional/cultural foods unique to U.SIt is how American food is produced, not how it tastes or where it originated that makes it “American”The Global community considers mass-produced, processed & packaged foods to be “American”Definition of American food changed over time from barreled meats & preserves to Coca~Cola & Hamburger

American “Genius” for Business

After 1840 - transition from small farm producers to city dwelling consumersFood had to be transported to urban areas in mass quantitiesOpened opportunities for new industries such as bureaucratic management, agribusiness, processing & preserving on a large scale

American “Genius” for Business

According to the NBA, in the 19th & early 20th century, business & industry were dominated by American-born leaders but were far more open to immigrants from Europe than to African Americans or women However, this diversity is misleading since foreigners & American-born developed different food industries

American “Genius” for Business

For example, foreigners dominated wine making & distilling whereas cereal manufacturers & heads of large fruit & vegetable canning operations & dairy processing enterprises were largely American-bornEuropean immigrants had advantages in locating & introducing technologies developed abroad because many of the technical innovations that made mass production possible came from Europe

Business Cont.Xenophobia defined what has become

“American” in the food industryMulticulturalism had not yet become part of

the American identity, & was not accepted, although citizens of foreign descent fueled the industry:

Kraft - Canadian Heinz – GermanCampbell’s, Kellogg’s, Dole, Post-

Anglo-American

Business Cont.

Food industries dominated by at least third generation Anglo-Americans:

Soft drinks, gum, fast-food•Industries that put wealthy, second generation foreign immigrants in positions of power:

-Meat packing, sugar refining, retail groceries

Not So genius…

Successful businesses did not rely on new innovations, but rather ideas and principals brought to U.S by immigrants

Bilingual foreigners introduced & promoted technologies abroad

Mass production technology came from Europe

-Busch Beer- pasteurized for shipping to U.S, tweaked recipe -Different than beer in Germany, but appreciated in U.S

Not So genius…

Foreign-based businesses used culturally neutral symbols instead of calling attention to their nationalities-Example: A.J. Heinz

Standardized products found success on the global market & were labeled as “American”

Not So genius…

These business strategies of the earliest big businessmen were precursors of “Coca Cola” or “Model T” marketing strategies that rightly assumed standardized products because they appealed to the largest group of consumers This was the foundation on which products could “become American” in the national market

Alcohol Niche

Alcohol in the U.S. was mostly foreign-producedProhibition had xenophiobic elementsAs a result, Alcoholic beverages were not seen as “American”

Alcohol Niche

• Foreigners initially had trouble working with & interpreting the U.S government & market

• Alcohol became one of the largest food industries

• It was more common for foreigners to pass on the family business to their children than for Americans to do so

The consequences of this division between foreign-born & American-born not only helped shape American consumer identities but also held the potential for shaping American business practices into the 20th century by labeling some products as clearly “American”

Defining “American”

Busch and HeinzA Tale of Two Successful

Foreign Companies

Adolfus BuschMarried into the Anheuser family, inherited a run-down brewery in Germany-turned it into the largest brewery in the world Rich, but faced criticism for being the ‘strength’ of the prohibition movementExperimented with Budweiser to suit U.S. tastesBeer continued to be seen as foreign, but found a niche in the U.S.The company stayed in the family for four generations

H. J. Heinz

American born, second generation GermanInitial failure during depressionBranched out into pre-prepared foods in cansEmphasized cleanliness, packed in glass jars until the business got too bigEmphasized humble rootsGood publicityPassed on business to son

Meatpacking: foreign-born & second generation meatpackers refused to join the National Packing Company & chose to remain independentUpton Sinclair’s The Jungle & Pure Food and Drug Act led to intense consumer scrutiny, followed by trust-busting & regulation of the meatpacking industry

Growing Food Industry

Consolidation of the brewing industry was too risky

The result was that neither of the county’s largest food industries could become foundations for corporate consolidation

However, business enterprises founded by Native-born Americans in milling, cereal, & canning later became the foundations of

the earliest food conglomerates, such as General Mills & Campbell’s soup

Growing Food Industry

In Conclusion…

Foreign influence ultimately shaped the U.S. food industry & defined our ideas of “American” cuisineXenophobia produced some of the commodities which we hold dear-- beer & pickles-- & which we think of as “American”There is no real “American” food cultureWhat does American food say about our history, culture, and tradition?