Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-17
FOOD CONSUMPTION
IN u. S. DECREASING
Changing Habits of Work Re-
suit in Less Demand for
RationS.
BY ]. c. ROYLE.

The war cry OF the American people
has ceased to be when do we eat?" 1t
is now more likely that the universal
question will be Where do we eat?"
The per capita amount of food con-
Sumed by all the people in the world
is gradually lessening. This, accord
ing to Government scientists, is due in
part to a better balanced ration. But
the fact remains that the farmers and
stock growers have to face the probable
ity that, while the population of the
world will grow, individual consumption
of food will decline. That is one of the
things behind the urgent efforts of the
Farm Board and the Department of
Agriculture to induce the agricultural
population to hold to a strict acreage
and keep down production.
Style is responsible to a great extent
for the drop in food consumption. In
the case of the feminine population, the
fad for slimness had its influence eSpe-
cially on consumption of foods with a
predominance of starches and carbo-
hydrates such as wheat, bread, potatoes,
milk, cheese and butter.
Restaurants are basing their menus
on the new demands and the heavy
food items are now less prominent.
There has been a large increase in
lunch stands and wayside booths which
handle only few items of food. once
the family starting on a Sunday out
ing would not have thought of leaving
home without heavy baskets loaded with
all sorts of comestibles which could be
prepared in advance, as well as frying
pans and stew pots designed for camp
fire use. Today they depend on the
hot dog" stands, roadhouses and hotels
In the cities time is the essence
which f1avors the eating contract. With
only a few minutes to devote to the
midday meal, that meal is necessarily
light, or at least composed OF a few
items ready to serve. Most white collar
workers would rather spend their time
and money in the shops or the movies
than in the restaurants or at the lunch
counters.
Another factor in the situation Is
that more more people ride and fewer
walk This is due to the expansion
of the cities, the establishment of in
dustrial plants, farther from the resi-
dental districts and the wide use by
workers of all classes of the automo-
bile and bus The tissues once burned
up by the pedestrianism of the popu-
lation now no longer need replacement
by heavy foods
The main reason for the change
| however, is that America and other
nations are working more with then
| heads and less with their hands. The
severe physical labor which large por-
ton of the population used to perform
each day now is done by relatively
small number, and machines are taking
| the place of muscles. Brain workers
! have found that heavy meals left then
! minds stodgy without the physical et-
| fort required to burn them into energy
The passing of the dinner pail ha;
also marked the passing of the heavy
midday meal and the consumption O
food is recording that development
| Officials OF the Department OF Agrl
! culture, seeing this development II
progress, are urging agriculturists u
raise and sell those products which ar
in style" rather than concentrate al
their efforts on the old beef, mutton
pork bread and potatoes diet.
Copyright 1930l