Profitable Food Industry Trends Through the Decades

Popular in: 1930s
Created by: Soup Kitchens
Original Price: Unknown

Hoover Stew sounds like something you wouldn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole, but back in the 1930s some families didn’t have a choice. The interesting dish was created by soup kitchens during The Great Depression as a cheap way to feed struggling parents and their kids. 

Hoover Stew ©Fanfo/©Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com

Made up of macaroni and chopped up hot dogs, the dish was named after President Herbert Hoover. While food fashion has come on considerably since then, there was a time when Hoover Stew was the only thing keeping many Americans from starvation. It’s a wonder that Campbell’s didn’t stick it in a can and market it.

The dish had such a lasting impact on some families that Hoover Stew variations have been passed down through the generations. Some people still eat it to this day, even though the thought of it is enough to make others shudder! Whichever side you fall on, you can’t deny that this is the dish that practically saved a nation.

Popular in: 1950s/1960s
Created by: The Howdy Corporation
Original Price: $0.06* 

Entrepreneur Charles Leiper Grigg first came up with 7-Up back in the late 1920s, manufacturing the soda pop underneath The Howdy Corporation. Like many similar companies at the time, Grigg was constantly looking for ways to up the ante. 

Soda Milk irepostoldmemes / imgur.com

In the 50s and 60s, the company began to attest to the benefits of drinking 7-Up with cold milk, telling consumers that pouring the pop into the dairy product made for a “delicious blended food drink.” Whether that was strictly true was a different story. 7-Up is still going strong to this day as part of Dr Pepper.  

However, Dr. Pepper hasn’t revisited this old marketing tactic. Perhaps wisely, it’s left this cocktail in the past and moved on to bigger and better ways to advertise. Still, it’s a wonderful piece of confusing nostalgia to look back on that can’t be denied.

Popular in: 1970s
Created by: Hellmann’s
Original Price: $0.50*

In the 1970s there was one food trend that towered over any other: jelly. Suddenly, every party table was full of towering Jell-O molds. Nothing was off-limits, from meatloaf to vegetables. If it could be set in gelatin, it was a sure-fire winner. 

Party Potato Salad @It's Just A Hot Mess! / Pinterest.com

Unilever’s Hellmann’s jumped on the bandwagon by introducing their recipe for Party Potato Salad. As you might have guessed, this was a regular potato salad with a twist. The loaf-shaped slab was set with gelatin and chicken broth, making for a very on-trend table centerpiece that was (supposedly) delicious. 

Modern diners might look on a table full of meat-infused Jell-O now and cringe, but back then it was all the rage. The bigger and brighter it was, the more your dinner party host rep soared. Needless to say, it’s unlikely this trend will experience a resurgence any time soon.

Popular in: 1970s
Created by: Konrad Egli
Original Price: Various

Fondue isn’t as en vogue now as it once was fifty years ago. Back in the ‘70s, Americans couldn’t get enough of dipping pieces of bread into melted cheese. It was a social phenomenon. Swiss restaurateur Konrad Egli was the man behind the magic, first inventing fondue in 1956. It took a while for the trend to reach America, but when it did, it was unstoppable. 

Fondue Party @Thiti/Pinterest

Nearly every household had a fondue set, perfect for entertaining guests. These kits are still available on sites like Amazon today, but the days of inviting friends over for a long night of fondoing are long gone. 

That being said, a trend did surface in the ’90s and ’00s for chocolate fondue that remains more popular than the outdated cheese version. Chocolate fondue often pops up at special events such as weddings and office parties. On the whole, it’s considered much more socially chic!

Popular in: 1960s
Created by: Unknown
Original Price: $0.76* 

The world is a strange and mystical place full of oddities. In the ‘60s, that was especially true. Dinner parties and buffet tables looked like something out of a new age sci-fi movie, thanks in part to dishes like these prawn stuffed apples. 

We don’t know who was the first person to come up with this strange combination, but they certainly deserve a medal for ingenuity. Apples were stuffed with sauce and topped off with a whole prawn, complete with beady little eyes. Luckily for modern food lovers, these won’t be making an appearance on Discovery’s Food Network any time soon.

Prawn and apples aren’t typically two items that are brought together, but the ’60s was a time for experimentation, after all. Stranger things than this happened that decade, but we didn’t find ourselves biting into most of them at the office holiday party.

Popular in: 1960s
Created by: Aunt Jemima
Original Price: $0.30*

Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix has been around for a very, very long time. In fact, the product first hit the shelves back in 1889, going on to become a much-loved brand. Like any company looking to stay ahead, Aunt Jemima occasionally posted recipes in magazines as part of its advertising campaign. 

Deviled Ham Pancakes @Marla Herdeck / Pinterest.com

In the 1960s, the company jumped on the canned meat craze to provide customers with Deviled Ham Pancakes. According to them, combining a can of broken-up pork meat with their pancake mix and topping it off with a hearty dose of butter and syrup was the next best thing. Needless to say, current owners Pepsi haven’t gone down that route.  

In fact, Aunt Jemima is changing more than than the recipes it offers up. The company announced plans to retire the name entirely in 2020 in a bid to be more socially conscious, instead phasing out Aunt Jemima and replacing it with another name entirely.

Popular in: 1940s
Created by: Betty Crocker
Original Price: $0.11 per serving*

It’s true that jellied dishes became increasingly popular in the ‘70s, but Americans were no stranger to the wonderful world of gelatin. Recipes date back years, including this one that goes all the way back to the 1940s. 

Jellied Chicken Recipe @oldtimerecipes/Pinterest

Chicken can make a wonderful staple meal, but would you ever eat a wobbly gelatin version of it? Made with sliced green olives, minced onion, chicken broth, chicken, and chopped celery, jellied chicken isn’t something you’ll see on the shelves of Walmart any time soon. These days, we like our meat to stand still while we’re trying to eat it.

It’s interesting to think that housewives at the time would have slaved away for hours making one of these dishes for a special occasion. They likely put extra effort into the presentation and were highly praised when it made it to the table in one piece.

Popular in: 1960s
Created by: Unknown
Original Price: $0.30 per serving*

Some things served up for dinner in the ‘60s looked like feasts of color pulled straight from the pages of Vogue. Others looked far less desirable, like this meatloaf igloo. Surrounded by pink gelatin with a dollop of orange sauce on the top, this dish was a favorite in some houses. 

Igloo Meatloaf @Dana Nuber / Pinterest.com

It’s not something you’re ever likely to order at Darden’s Olive Garden, but it’s back in the ‘60s being served one of these meant your parents really cared about what they put in the oven. Does that make it acceptable by today’s standards? Not really – but it’s the thought that counts.

After all, even if you didn’t like the taste of this extravagant jelly hut as a child, it would have been fun to look at. It’s not very often food like this makes it to the table on a weekday these days thanks to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Whether that’s a blessing in disguise is up for debate.

Popular in: 1920s
Created by: Swanson
Original Price: $0.18* 

There are many things that can be done with a cut of beef, from irresistible pies to a good, old-fashioned steak. Trends may change, but beef remains one of the most popular meats in the world. Back in the ‘20s, consumers were still just as crazy about cow, but they liked it canned and creamed. 

Creamed Chip Beef @Jennifer McGee / @Recipes for the Family / Pinterest.com

Swanson’s Creamed Chip Beef was all the rage back then as it was cheap to buy and, by all accounts, tasty. You can still purchase a version of the dish to this day at stores like Walmart, where brands like Stouffer’s retail for just under $2.50. 

Some people like to serve it on toast, while others have been known to put it on top of a baked potato, or even in a pie. Whichever way you look at it, this particular food is definitely an acquired taste that isn’t universally loved.

Popular in: 1950s
Created by: Swanson
Original Price: $0.98*

TV Dinners have been around for so long that it’s hard to imagine a time without them, but they were at their most popular when they first hit the market in the ‘50s. Swanson was the first to manufacture these one-tray meals on a mass level, introducing a Thanksgiving-themed dinner for $0.98 a pop. 

TV Dinners @Hal Brower / @ Rhonda E / Pinterest.com

They became incredibly fashionable, even if they were a little more costly than making your own meal. By 1960 Swanson had added desserts to their repertoire. While microwave meals are made by tons of different brands now, ConAgra’s Swanson will always be the OG. 

Of course, these types of meals have come on leaps and bounds since these early days. You can get almost any type of cuisine in a handy microwavable packet, from entire Chinese feasts to fish and chips. There’s something for everyone, which is part of what makes them consistently popular.

Popular in: 2010s
Created by: Various
Original Price: Various

Consumers are more into food trends now than ever, so when activated charcoal started showing up in food in the 2010s, it seemed like just another day. Tons of different companies claim that adding the ingredient to food can be beneficial to health, but it also has an added bonus: it looks cool. 

Creatv Eight @creatveight/Unsplash.com

RBI’s Burger King was one of the earliest mainstream eateries to offer up activated charcoal food, with its Premium Kuro Burger in 2014. The black appearance was boosted by using squid ink to make the bun look as dark as possible. 

We can’t comment on the taste, but there’s no denying that activated charcoal food products look very alluring and interesting. That makes them perfect for marketing campaigns, so is it any wonder that some companies milked this trend to the nth degree?

Popular in: 1974
Created by: Gerber
Original Price: $0.50*

There is a lot of money to be made in the baby food industry, as there’s always a need for mashed veggies or meals for little people. However, baby food titan Gerber thought it would be a good idea to branch out and make products for young adults living alone. 

Adult Baby Food @Teresa Perry / Pinterest.com

Singles by Gerber launched in 1974, but while the idea was certainly an interesting one, it never fully took off. With names like “Blueberry Delight” and “Beef Burgundy”, these strange jars were single-servings marketed at adults on the go – but adults ran in the other direction. Other companies like Perrigo learned from Gerber’s mistake and never went down that route. 

Singles did teach multiple brands a valuable lesson, though. Adult baby food might sound like an avant-garde way to reinvent ready meals, but it’s simply not the right way to go about it. Not everyone wants to eat their dinner from a glass jar, no matter how interesting the ad campaign is.

Popular in: 1904
Created by: David Strickler
Original Price: $0.10*

Banana splits often conjure up memories of childhood visits to the ice cream parlor. While they’re still the dessert of choice for many today, back in 1904 they were all the rage as a new invention. Most people believe that David Strickler invented the tasty dish at the turn of the century after taking inspiration from sundaes he saw while on vacation. 

Banana Splits@vintaqgefoods/ Pinterest | ©Brent Hofacker / Shutterstock.com

The three scoops of ice cream with a split banana immediately caught on, with buyers willing to pay $0.10 a pop. At the time, that was double what the average sundae cost. Strickler did so well that he ended up buying the pharmacy he worked at.  

Most people aren’t aware that this dessert favorite has such a rich history. While banana splits were incredibly popular at the time of their creation, they still remain popular to this day. It just goes to show that some food trends stick around for much longer than originally intended.

Popular in: 1960s
Created by: Unknown
Original Price: $0.15* 

Bananas are wonderful, versatile fruits that can be used in tons of different desserts. These days health fanatics might mash bananas and turn them into pancakes, or liquefy them in a smoothie. ‘60s consumers had a different idea altogether. 

Banana Candle @VintageFoods/Pinterest.com

The banana candle is an interesting dish to look at. It’s not clear which bored housewife invented it, but all you have to do is stick a banana in the middle of a pineapple ring, throw some icing on the top to look like melted wax, and top it all off with a cherry.

The result is more like a piece of food art than something most of us would whip up for dinner, but perhaps that’s its charm. Back in the ’60s food was just as much a feast for the eyes as it was for the stomach, even if it didn’t always look that appealing.