Exploring the Mysteries: Science History Institute Presents - The Hidden Secrets of School Lunches
The Science History Institute in Philadelphia is set to open an intriguing exhibition titled "Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray" on September 27, 2024. This fascinating exploration delves into the complex history of school lunches, showcasing how food science, government policies, and public health concerns have intersected over the past 200 years.
Hosted by the Science History Institute, a museum and library dedicated to uncovering the hidden stories behind the history of science, the exhibition presents the school food tray as a symbol and tool through which scientific ideas about nutrition and education evolved. It reveals how innovations in agricultural science and nutritional research shaped the national school lunch program and influenced beliefs about nutrition's effects on student performance.
The exhibition features over 90 artifacts, including rare scientific instruments, posters, pamphlets, photographs, and period editions of books. Highlights include a vintage bag of Pioneer brand hybrid seed corn, which demonstrates the improvements to seeds and fertilizers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and a Swanson frozen dinner, which showcases the impact of food dehydration and freezing processes on the school lunch program.
The exhibition also spotlights the role of the federal government in the development of the school lunch program and the benefits of innovations like frozen dinners and plastic wrap. However, it also cites the unintended consequences of these and other new materials. For instance, a subtext about the rapid professionalization of American women in the fields of dietetics, home economics, and education is woven throughout the exhibition.
One artifact on display is a tiny aluminum token that was used to purchase lunch in a Philadelphia school in 1909. The exhibition also includes posters produced by the War Food Administration during WWII, such as "U.S. Needs Us Strong...Eat Nutritional Food" and "Every Child Needs a Good School Lunch."
The exhibition covers the period from the late 18th century to the present day, and it applies the lens of science to a variety of topics, including politics and popular culture. It also highlights the increasing reliance on frozen and packaged foods in school lunches, such as Lunchables and pizza, as well as the nascent movement toward sourced and seasonal fresh food.
The exhibition also features a number of historic scientific instruments, such as a polarimeter, refractometer, Babcock tester, butyrometer, spectrophotometer, Beckman DU ultraviolet spectrophotometer, and Beckman gas chromatograph.
The exhibition is curated by Jesse Smith, the Institute's director of curatorial affairs and digital content. The opening celebration, "Ring the Bell, It's Lunchtime! An Opening Celebration," takes place on September 27, 2024, from 5pm-8pm at the Science History Institute's headquarters in Old City Philadelphia.
The Science History Institute's 2nd Annual Curious Histories Fest will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2024, with the theme "Color Your World." The Annual Curious Histories Fest will also take place on Saturday, June 14, 2023, from 11am-3pm, with the theme "What's for Lunch?"
Major support for the exhibition "Lunchtime" has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Foodology by Univar Solutions, Quaker Houghton, and Fred and Elizabeth Weber. A package of Rebel Crumbles, a breakfast food devised and marketed by Rebel Ventures, a group of teen and young adult entrepreneurs based in West Philadelphia, is showcased as a healthy lunch alternative in the exhibition. The crumble meets USDA guidelines and is distributed in Philadelphia public schools for breakfast.
Visitors can also participate in guided tours where they can examine artifacts in detail and reflect on how scientific history has influenced the school lunch experience. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Science History Institute's event page at https://www.sciencehistory.org/visit/events/school-lunch-tour-202509/. For updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses, follow the Science History Institute on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/scihistoryorg/.
- The Science History Institute in Philadelphia, a museum and library dedicated to the history of science, is opening an exhibition named "Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray" on September 27, 2024.
- This exhibition depicts how scientific ideas about nutrition and education evolved through the school food tray, featuring over 90 artifacts such as scientific instruments, posters, and books.
- One notable artifact is a tiny aluminum token used to purchase lunch in a Philadelphia school in 1909, highlighting the evolution of school lunch purchases over time.
- The exhibition also covers the role of government policies, food science innovations, and health-and-wellness concerns in shaping the school lunch program, including the impact of frozen dinners and plastic wrap.
- The Science History Institute's "Lunchtime" exhibition delves into various topics, including nutrition, lifestyle, and education-and-self-development, providing insights into the history of food-and-drink and its influence on culture and society.
