What’s cooking, Uncle Sam?

With the reveal of the new food plate from the USDA, nutrition has been in the news lately. An article on NPR’s Morning Edition recently discussed “Washington’s long tradition of trying to guide the American diet”. From turn of the century agricultural expeditions to “the Poison Squad”, a group of young volunteers who explored the effects of contaminated food in the basement of the Department of Agriculture, this report chronicles the relationship of government and nutrition.

If you’re in DC this year, a new exhibit, “What’s cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government’s Effect on the American Diet” at the National Archives details America’s food history.