A big story in the news cycle was the recent announcement that Heinz and Kraft will merge, creating a company with upwards of $28B in revenue. But before there were products and international corporations, there were two men. And their legacy on the food system is somewhat broader than Velveeta, Miracle Whip, and ketchup. Improved food safety and increased convenience were among their contributions (think longer shelf life for food products, and feeding troops in World War I).

NPR reports (audio):

 

But Kraft’s legacy wasn’t just cheesy. More broadly, [Gabriella] Petrick says, he used “science and technology to stabilize American food systems and actually, really make them safer.” Likewise, she says, Heinz helped make food safer at a time when “lots of people were getting sick.”

 

P.S. The creator of American cheese, James Lewis Kraft, was born in Canada.

 

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