today's video is about
How BIG MEAT and DAIRY Fooled You (With Lies and Propaganda)
From the early 20th century to as late as the 1980s, educational film reels were shown in classrooms, universities, libraries, clubs, and organizations. In terms of food, these films solidified animal products in the “ideal” American diet.
Even into the 1990s, campaigns such as the California Milk Advisory Board’s “Got Milk?” validated drinking dairy. The ads were a pop culture sensation, with posters featuring 90s icons such as Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
These ads influenced animal product consumption: 1954’s “Eat For Health” stars a boy named Ralph.
The video explains the five essential food groups: fruit, vegetables, meat & eggs, milk & cheese, and bread & butter. 1946’s “Meats With Approval” highlights the role of the meat inspector after a child falls ill from contaminated meat. The narrator assures the viewer: “Your government goes to great lengths to see that the meat we eat is good and pure.
The 1990s “Got Milk?” ads features famous actors, athletes, and cartoons sporting a milk moustache, the endorsement of milk is ubiquitous during this time.
1964’s “This Is Hormel” features children getting a tour of a meat production facility. The video celebrates automation, desensitizes the viewer to animal exploitation, and promotes Hormel products simultaneously.
1942’s “Home On The Range” establishes meat as the primary fuel source for soldiers. Once the war was over, Americans had an appetite for eating more food as a symbol of the country’s power.
1948’s “The Chicken Of Tomorrow” calls for mid-century scientists to breed larger chickens for bigger profits.
1957’s “This Is The Dairy Industry” showcases how dairy enriches American middle-class life, as the video pushes for workers to join the industry.
Emma JC
