January, 1910

New York Requires Pasteurization of Milk

As cities began to industrialize, milk production and distribution became more unsanitary. This was the cause of many milkborne diseases, which were commonly fatal. Unsanitary milk caused illnesses such as typhoid fever, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. In 1910, the New York City Board of Health issued an order requiring the pasteurization of milk in hopes of reducing pathogens and diseases in milk. Other states followed throughout the next decade.

July 1, 1910

First Automated Bread Factory

Ward Baking Company was the first company to completely produce loaves of bread via machinery. The company opened the first automatic bread baking plant in Bronx, New York in 1910. A 20-minute process could produce 172 loaves a minute without the dough or loaf being touched by human hands until it emerged from the packaging machine.

October, 1910

Photo courtesy: USDA.gov

Founding of USDA Research Center

Beltsville, MD was the first home of the USDA Research Center. Named for the former United States Vice President and Secretary of Agriculture, the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is currently the largest agricultural research complex in the world.

January, 1911

USDA Implements First Requirments for Pork Products

In 1911, the United States first set out requirements for treating pork to destroy Trichinella spiralis cysts, based on the Ransom research. Trichinella spiralis is a nematode parasite responsible for trichinosis. Pork products now have guidelines for specific cooking and freezing temperatures and times and curing methods for processed pork products. Since government regulations have been implemented, cases of Trichinella spiralis have steadily decreased.

FoodSafety.gov

October 16, 1911

First Annual Meeting

Thirty-five men from Australia, Canada, and the U.S. sought the need to improve the quality of milk production and as a result created the International Association of Dairy and Milk Inspectors. Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the site of the first Association meeting on October 16, 1911.

April, 1912

Sinking of the Titanic

Setting out on her maiden voyage, White Star Line's Titanic left the port at Southampton, England on April 10, 1912. Four short days into the cruise, the ship struck an iceberg and eventually sank. This day marks the deadliest maritime disaster in history by claiming the lives of 1,517 out of the 2,227 passengers aboard.

May, 1913

Gould Amendment

In 1913, the Gould Amendment revised the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 by requiring that contents of any food package to be "plainly and conspicuously marked on the outside of the package in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count."

July, 1914

Beginning of WW I

In July of 1914, central Europe was experiencing many conflicts and antagonisms. These led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which inevitably led to the start of the Great War.

January, 1915

Establishment of the Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government. It is charged with keeping American business competition free and fair. The act was part of President Wilson's program to check the growth of monopoly and preserve competition as an effective regulator of business.

March, 1915

Invention of the Paper Milk Carton

In 1915, John Van Wormer took out a patent for his new product that would eventually change the way people enjoyed their milk. This marked the birth of the milk carton. Wormer called his invention the "Pure-Pak" because the cartons could be thrown away after one use.

February, 1916

Coca-Cola Introduces New Bottle Design

Since 1886, Coca-Cola has been a company on the rise. Sold in all U.S. states, it was a high demand product in 1916. In order to protect its authenticity, Coca-Cola set out to design a signature bottle shape that would ensure consumers they were getting the real product. The Root Glass Company from Indiana created the winning design. The famous contour bottle continues to be a symbol of the brand today.

May, 1916

Quick Freezing of Foods

R. Planck, E. Ehrenbaum, and K. Reuter of Germany, were the first to achieve the quick freezing of foods. Many of their first experiments were conducted on fish. Quick freezing techniques allow frozen foods to maintain most of their original appearance while thawing, due to the short freezing period of time which avoids large crystals from forming within cells and damaging membranes. Planck, Ehrenbaum, and Reuter concluded that there was greater efficiency and desirability of rapid freezing in low temperatures.

September 6, 1916

First Self-Serve Grocery Store

Clarence Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Memphis, Tennessee on September 6th, 1916. Previously, a shopper would enter a grocery store and make an order with the clerk, who would then gather all of the requested merchandise. This system was inefficient and slow. Saunders' idea of letting shoppers serve themselves was innovative and provided many new features such as checkout stands, price marking, refrigerated cases, and more sanitary conditions. His grocery store was predicted to be a failure. Instead, after franchising opportunities and stock exchanges, Piggly Wiggly successfully revolutionized the common grocery store.

May, 1917

Patent for Preserving Food Under CO2

Helen C. M. Franks was issued a patent for preserving fruits and vegetables under CO2. This process is meant to suffocate bacteria in food by modifying the atmosphere in which it is stored. This decreases the amount of oxygen and increases the amount of carbon dioxide, which impairs the growth of microorganism on food, allowing food to stay fresh longer.

June, 1917

1918 Flu Pandemic

June marked the start of the 1918 flu pandemic, or the Spanish Flu. The pandemic lasted until 1920 and claimed an estimated 20 to 40 million lives. That equaled to about 3% of the world's population. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in world history.

December, 1917

Girl Scouts Begin Cookie Sales

The famous Girl Scout Cookies got their start in 1917 in Oklahoma. By 1936, the national organization began licensing commercial bakers to produce the high demand cookies. The first recipes were for sugar cookies but have now developed to more than 15 varieties and flavors. Profits from the sales are spread among the national organization, regional councils, and local troops. Incentives for coupons, toys, and activities are offered to motivate members. Sales of the cookies are estimated at 200 million boxes per year.

January, 1918

Meatless Mondays and Wheatless Wednesdays

As WW I was in full force, concerns about food supplies started to haunt the country. Head of the U.S. Food Administration Herbert Hoover established set days to encourage people to avoid eating certain foods in order to save them for soldiers. Hoover believed that "food will win the war." This began 'Meatless Mondays' and 'Wheatless Wednesdays.' He hoped this program would help reduce consumption of needed food overseas and avoid food rationing at home.

June, 1919

Treaty of Versailles

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This treaty ended the war between Germany and the Allied powers. It forced Germany to accept sole responsibility for causing the war and forced the country to pay heavy reparations to certain countries.

1910's