Commercialization of the Cookie

The increasing popularity of cookies, accompanied by affordable sugar and new technologies, caught the attention of manufacturers, who began mass production of many of America’s most popular cookies around the turn of the twentieth century. The commercial sale of cookies became especially viable when, in 1899, the National Biscuit Company introduced the “inner seal,” a method of packaging that ensured product freshness. This innovation resulted in the transition from selling bulk goods shipped in barrels, boxes, and tins to smaller, more individualized packaging. The commercialization of cookies was aided by two other factors. As more women entered the workplace, they had less time to bake and yet were expected to ensure that their husbands and children were well and happily fed. At the turn of the twentieth century women were taught domestic science, which relied heavily on technological advances in the kitchen as well as on the processed foods that were making their way into the marketplace, supported by advertising based on clever, enticing slogans. America’s commercial cookie production, aided by technology, the availability of inexpensive sugar, and a large ready market, assumed an early position of dominance relative to variety and sheer production numbers worldwide.