Meal Patterns: The Twentieth Century

Yet another major shift in American meal patterns was caused by the rise of commercial food processors. The breakfast food industry challenged the traditional morning menu with quick-cooking and ready-to-eat cereals such as granola, rolled oats, grape nuts, and corn flakes. These new products, promoted as healthful, began to replace the traditional, heavier breakfast foods. During the 1920s, the orange juice industry used the same technique of stressing the healthful qualities of orange juice as a breakfast drink and within a decade, fruit juice became a major breakfast food fad throughout America.