Counterculture: Countercultural Legacies

The counterculture spurred interest in food and nutrition. Because many participants distrusted the establishment, which included food companies and the FDA, there was a clear need for improved research. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1971. One of the founders, Michael Jacobson, worked on food additives and nutrition. By 1977 CSPI was focused almost exclusively on food issues, publishing eye-opening nutritional analyses and critiques of fast food and convenience foods. Jacobson wrote What Are We Feeding Our Kids? (1994) and Marketing Madness (1995). CSPI publishes Nutrition Action Healthletter, a newsletter for consumers. CSPI publications have led to several congressional hearings and the passage of food safety legislation.