9781422269947

Learn about the dangers of eating too much white bread every day.

health issues, and the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Academy of Sciences recommended a standard for enriched flour that had “appropriate levels” of vitamins and minerals added. The FDA then applied these standards to white bread. Because it was a “standardized food,” however, its labels did not need to list those nutritional ingredients, only added ones. In the 1930s and 1940s, many people either weren’t aware of the importance of a healthy diet or couldn’t afford nutritious foods. The widespread hunger and poverty of the Great Depression had lingering aftereffects. Up to 40 percent of US military recruits were rejected during World War II because of malnutrition. Wartime food rationing and shortages affected children as well, and malnourishment was common. That led military leaders to persuade Congress to create the National School Lunch Program, providing government-subsidized meals to kids.

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What’s in a Label?