National Army Food Day
Why every food holiday is an Army food holiday
In the past week, we’ve celebrated National Ice Cream Sandwich Day as well as National Chocolate Cookie Day, among other holidays. The frequency of food holidays underscores the prominent role food plays in American culture. Behind these foods, however, is often a story that involves the U.S. Army. So this week, whether you are a foodie or not, we’re lifting up how the Army has shaped the food that Americans consume, making every food holiday an Army food holiday.
Cheese on everything
Part of this story looks at specific foods that were incubated or heavily influenced by the Army. Last month, for example, we covered the Army’s role in making America a coffee nation. Similarly, as reported on by Vice and covered by We are the Mighty, there are similar stories with a wide range of American food products, such Pringles. Cheetos also trace their origins to the Army, and specifically the Army’s love of flavorings that can be used at scale. As Sarah Sicard put it in Task & Purpose,
During World War I, Walter Gerber, Fritz Stettler, and James Kraft learned the art of emulsifying salts with cheese, which is basically a fancy way of saying they managed to create dehydrated, preservable cheese dust. Kraft food distributors then sold this product to the Army, which used it on just about everything — pasta, potatoes, and sandwiches included.
I particularly enjoy the line about the Army using “cheese dust” on “just about everything”, it brings back memories of the first time I saw how much ketchup and hot sauce could be consumed at an Army breakfast. But the story of the Army and American food goes much deeper than specific products.
Army meal in the field. Source: DVIDS.
Making a ration, forging a nation
Armies have long sought military advantage through food. Napoleon’s “an Army marches on its stomach” is perhaps the most often-cited articulation of this truism. But whether its preventing casualties from malnutrition or enabling soldiers to sustain operations over extended time periods, robust food logistics are an essential component behind every successful military.
The U.S. Army learned these lessons the hard way. A lack of food was one of the conditions which brought the Army to the breaking point during the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge. This was the start of the Army’s efforts to professionalize its sustainment operations. This work continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, growing ever more deeply integrated with America’s agricultural, academic, and industrial sectors. Institutions like Natick Labs in Massachusetts pioneered food innovations that included food eaten by the Apollo 11 astronauts and the Meals-Ready-to-Eat used by the Army the past several decades.
Army meal in the field. Source: DVIDS.
These efforts by the Army also drove innovation and growth across American agriculture and the commercial sector more broadly. World War I and II, for example, necessitated food production at massive scale. It also contributed to a post-war diet, especially following World War II, that connected Americans of many disparate backgrounds—for example, through food and drink such as M&Ms and Coca-Cola.
With the move to a professional Army in the 1970s, the Army’s nation-building role through food has become less pronounced. At the same time, America’s culinary ecosystem has grown larger and more dynamic, turning the Army more often into a recipient of culinary innovations. Just this year, for example, the Army held its first Culinary Industry Day, to learn best practices and solutions from the private sector.
But Army food will continue to play a unique role in fostering a sense of nation among Americans. The first time new recruits eat at a dining facility, for example, they bond over the shared food. Similarly, every Army veteran takes any number of food-related stories with them out into civilian life. So the next time we get an alert notifying us about a national food holiday, in some way, it’s a little celebration of Army history as well.
Additional Resources:
Check out the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick Labs)
Check out the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum
Reach out to your local recruiter to help set up a cook-off!
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If you’d like to write a newsletter post, share an educational resource about the Army, or lift up an opportunity for people to connect with the Army (e.g., an event, story, etc.), please contact Dan (dan@army250.us).