The country of England has one of the most wealthy and interesting histories of any country on earth. It is known for its great military domination, and its quests to discover new lands and peoples. Its riches are unbelievable and its traditions have prevailed through the ages, despite many tests and trials. The Industrial Revolution, which started in England, soon spread throughout the whole world and brought about rapid change to all aspects of life. Not only did the industrial technology change the workplace, but it also changed the food people ate.

Until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the food that was produced in England was all fresh, and could not be kept for long periods of time. The rich nobility would go on glamorous hunting outings and hunt for animals such as deer, fox, elk, and rabbits. They then brought this food back to their mansions and it was consumed. But this was just for show and even back then, was becoming rather old-fashioned.

With the Industrial Revolution came canned goods. With the help of machines tin cans could be manufactured easily. Meat and vegetables were packed into these tin cans and packaged up airtight. Without air, food does not spoil. With this method of storage, food could be kept good for much longer than it had ever been kept before. Some of the foods that were packaged in cans were beef, pork, ham, apples, cherries, pumpkin, squash, beans and many others. Canning foods made everything more convenient for everyone.

Preserving food in airtight containers was not a new practice though. Back in Roman times drinks, honey, mustard, and cheese were kept in airtight stoneware jars! The Industrial Revolution made this method more practical. In England, the first food product regularly sold in cans and in large quantities was corned beef.

The oblivious consumer was often unaware as to the actual means of getting the corned beef from the cow into the can. This is a grotesque account of an Industrial slaughterhouse from Food in History:

"The butchers who skinned and carved the animals moved placidly about their business, wading in blood and covered in it all over. Between them lay...bones strewn about in wild confusion, the entrails...and unborn calves were lying in a heap...." etc. ad nauseum.

Another innovation that led to the sale of more canned foods, was cheap color printing. Now canning companies could put attractive labels on cans to entice people into buying canned foods.

But what actually went inside the cans and pre-packaged foods was not always so attractive. "Adulteration," or adding false substances to the food, was common in Industrial England. For example, sand would be put in with the sugar. Plaster of paris was used along with flour to make it look white (sometimes even ground-up bones would be used). Water was used to increase the quantity of milk. Vitriol was put in the beer. Food coloring (often poisonous, like lead or verdigris) was used to make food more attractive.

The reasons for cheating the customer were numerous. Greed and the promise of an inproved profit fueled the desire to cheat. Often, the real commodity was too expensive, and storekeepers needed something cheap to replace the real thing. Various additives made the foods look better. The customers were calmly unaware of these practices for the most part until 1820, when Frederick Accum revealed to all these terrible practices.i He explained it all in his scientific book, A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons.

With the Industrial Revolution came the rapid growth of towns. Because of the large number of people in the towns, it became difficult for people to grow their own food. More and more people turned to stores for their groceries. In order to accommodate the large numbers of people that came to the stores, owners bought canned foods and shelved them to make things easier for their customers. Since canned food did not spoil, it was easy to keep a large quanity of food on hand.

The Industrial Revolution completely changed every aspect of life, including the way we eat. Vegetables and fruits no longer needed to be in season to be available. Meat was no longer only available shortly after an animal was butchered. Life became more convenient. Thanks to consumer groups and government intervention, we now know exactly what we get when we buy canned and pre-packaged food.