- [Narrator] Hey, there. If you're new to our channel, you can subscribe by hitting the leaf icon in the bottom right corner of the video. Click the bell icon to
turn on notifications, and please be sure to
like and comment below. From the early 20th century
to as late as the 1980s, educational film reels
were shown in classrooms, universities, libraries,
clubs and organizations. Topics ranged from good
hygiene and manners to how to navigate new
technological innovations and food. These films were made by
a wide variety of groups including federal
departments, universities, and even companies. When it came to food, these
films helped play a role in solidifying animal products as a necessary part of the American diet. Number one, "Eat for Health". The 1954 film "Eat for
Health" follows Ralph, a young boy who has low energy
like the rest of his family because he's not eating
from the five food groups. - [Film Narrator] Five fingers
that point the way to health. What was it now? Bread and butter or
margarine, milk and cheese, meat and eggs, vegetables, and fruits. - [Narrator] It was produced
by Encyclopedia Britannica Film in collaboration with Dr. James R. Wilson, Secretary of the Council
on Foods and Nutrition at the American Medical Association. The educational film implies
that drinking cow's milk will make you strong and healthy, and when Ralph thinks of milk he thinks of the tallest
children in class. According to the narrator, it's milk that gives
Ralph's classmate Linda her pretty smile. - [Film Narrator] Vitamin D milk helps build strong bones and teeth, and Ralph has decided that
it must be lots of milk which has given Linda such a bright smile. - [Narrator] And people should
be drinking a quart a day to get Vitamin D. What the video doesn't say is that cow's milk is
fortified with Vitamin D. It's not naturally occurring. These days, many brands
of plant-based milk are fortified with Vitamin D as well, but "Eat for Health" positions
milk as an essential food. It isn't too different from
the Got Milk? campaigns that kicked off in the 1990s. When it comes to meat, Ralph thinks of the
strongest boy in class. - [Film Narrator] And Ralph
thinks of George right away, 'cause he's the huskiest and
the strongest boy in class. Meat and eggs help the body
grow and make us strong. - [Narrator] While it addresses that fruits and vegetables
are good for you, the video leaves out
plant-based sources of protein that would have been available
at most grocery stores, like lentils and beans. Today we have even more
options like tofu, tempeh, and plant-based meat substitutes
from different brands. We also know that eggs
raise cholesterol levels, and diets heavy in red meat
can lead to health issues like high blood pressure, heart
disease, type two diabetes, and a higher risk of
certain forms of cancer. There are other factors that
made meat become a staple of every household, like stigmas
against not being wealthy. Up until the consumerism
boom of the 18th century, red meat was considered a luxury afforded only by the upper class. Poor and middle-class families subsisted on what they could afford: potatoes, milk, cheese, grains,
and seasonal vegetables. Meat became a symbol of wealth, so when it became more available to people from different
economic backgrounds, it was seen as a class equalizer. Number two, "Meats with Approval". This film from 1946, made by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, goes over how meat is made,
from the farms to inspection. It was created under the supervision of several meat inspection divisions. The film opens in the late Victorian era with a doctor making a house call to a home where someone got sick from eating contaminated meat. Thanks to Journalist Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel "The Jungle" about
the conditions immigrants working in Chicago's meat industry faced, the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was passed providing new guidelines. But the video takes a cold approach to the animal lives
involved in the industry, showing footage of
recently slaughtered cattle hanging by their feet on the carcass line. The video contrasts it with
language that spins meat as a wholesome product. The end product's stamped with a little purple
circle of wholesomeness. - [Film Narrator] The
stamp of wholesomeness, backed by the assurance
of Uncle Sam himself, this same careful supervision by the inspectors of smoked meats, extends to all kinds of processed meats. Sausage, for example, gets a lot of attention
from the government men beginning with the
ingredients of pork or beef and the spices used in it,
and continuing right down to the moment the sausage
is packed for marketing. - [Narrator] Inspectors are treated as guardians of integrity,
even going so far as to inspect the clothing of
people working on the floor. Filmed in 1946 when factory
farming was in its infancy, it helped solidify the idea of slaughtering animals for
meat as a wholesome job. - [Film Narrator] True, your government goes to great lengths to see that the meat we
eat is good and pure. - [Narrator] It's entirely
possible videos like this have played a role in how we
see the meat industry today. Federal meat inspectors exist to this day, but according to a former Food Safety and Inspection
Services employee, today's inspection agency is
rife with internal corruption, mismanagement, low morale, and undisguised conflicts of interest. Major meat producers like Cargill, Tyson, Smithfield and JBS are often given a pass. Inspectors are often deterred from halting lines to inspect meat. It can slow production and
may even threaten their job. The Humane Slaughter Act, which requires animals to be
stunned before being killed, is frequently broken. Fewer than 10% of inspector issues go to Food Safety and Inspection Services, and instead must go through the plant's bureaucratic chain of command. Number three, Got Milk? Got Milk? is an advertising campaign created by the California Milk Board and advertising agency Goodby
Silverstein and Partners. The original ad, titled "Aaron Burr" directed by filmmaker Michael Bay, was released on October 29, 1993. In it Actor Sean Whalen
plays a history buff who is unable to answer the question who shot Alexander Hamilton
in that famous duel for the prize of $10,000
in a radio call-in contest. Unfortunately for him,
he just ate peanut butter and is out of milk. The now famous ad was
praised by Reader's Digest, Entertainment Weekly, USA
Today, and Fast Company. It was only the beginning
for the Got Milk? campaign. In 1995, Got Milk? ran
a series of print ads featuring celebrities, cartoon,
and video game characters proudly wearing a milk mustache. Since launching, print ads
have starred several athletes including baseball player Mark McGwire, skateboarder Tony Hawk, wrestler
Stone Cold Steve Austin, basketball player Dennis Rodman, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, and soccer legend David Beckham. It also featured cultural
icons of the time, including the Hanson
brothers, Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys,
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Naomi Campbell, as well as Nintendo's Mario, The Simpsons, The Rugrats, and Batman. Some people featured in the
ads have since ditched milk, including singer Miley Cyrus and tennis legends Venus
and Serena Williams. Modern milk ads still imply that milk makes superior athletes, and many of them target children. In a 2014 ad, a girl is
visited by her future self. - You're me? - [Narrator] She urges her
younger self to drink milk, and when she does the
older version transforms into a professional runner. In an ad uploaded to the Got Milk? YouTube channel last September, a boy knocks a UFO out of
the air with a baseball because he drank milk. In a 2018 ad, a group of kids
lament over their problems which are made a little less
worse thanks to dairy milk. - And I got tricked
into trading my PB and J for a vegan brownie. Let that sink in. - [Narrator] Got Milk? is
also turning its attention to dispelling rumors about dairy milk in response to the rising
consumer preference for plant-based milk. In a Schoolhouse Rock style animated video titled "Know the Facts", a
child asks a carton of milk why someone bought almond
milk instead of him. The next few minutes show vignettes featuring the singing carton of milk explaining that rumors about dairy milk spread quickly through the internet, while truth backed up
with evidence is ignored. The video goes on to blame actual trolls, a stand-in for the media, and Satan himself for the
decline of dairy milk sales. In the video's entire 4 1/2 minutes, there are several references to facts in favor of dairy milk, but none of them are ever presented. Number four, "This is Hormel". In the 1964 video "This is Hormel", two kids write a letter asking
to tour the Hormel company. Founded in 1891, Hormel
made a name for itself selling meat, particularly
ham and sausage, and its shelf-stable Spam. Like the videos before it, "This is Hormel" is one part
a celebration of automation, one part a desensitization to the individual animals used for meat, and one part a promotion
for Hormel products. The space where whole pig carcasses are carved into cuts of meat is referred to as the
hog disassembly floor. There doesn't seem to be any issues with showing young children
where meat comes from. The video predicts automation as the future of the meat industry. - [Film Narrator] So much automation enters the industrial picture today that is not surprising to see
the start of meat processing begin in this fashion. - [Narrator] Ham is so far
removed from the pigs' bodies that calm elevator music plays while machines carries cuts of meat from one part of the
production to the next, as well as showing how pigs'
bodies were used to make food. The video also acts as
promotional material for Hormel products, carrying
footage of ground up meat being made into Spam, chili,
and sausages to benign music. The company frames itself
and the food it produces in a positive light. Number five, "Home on the Range". Released in 1942, "Home
on the Range" is a video from the USDA and the
Office of War Information about the relationship
between the meat industry and the World War II effort. According to the video,
funding from the range program made it possible for
ranchers to clear land and provide grass and water to animals. The government asked many
hog and cattle farmers to increase production during
World War II to feed soldiers. Farmers were considered
important to the effort. Beef and pork were shipped
to the allies overseas. Meat eventually became a war-rationed food like sugar, cheese, and butter. It's around this time that
food-related propaganda emerged. This ranged from encouraging Americans to plant victory gardens to
help rations last longer, to recruiting children to pick crops and even saving bacon
grease to make explosives. Meat rations were
prioritized for soldiers. According to Lizzie
Collingham, author of the book "Taste of War: World War II
and the Battle for Food", American soldiers were
given the best cuts of meat because it was deemed
essential for energy, virility and masculinity. This was so prevalent that
there was even a committee to convince Americans
to eat more organ meat so soldiers could have
higher quality beef and pork. The video also makes it clear that the best meat was for soldiers in order to help the country... - [Film Narrator] To slam
the heil out of Hitler. (dramatic music) You and I won't mind for awhile to pass up a sizzling steak now and then in favor of sending
plenty of good red meat to the lads in the tanks. - [Narrator] The war
changed the American diet. World War II helped bring the country out of the Great Depression. Once the war was over, Americans had a taste
for eating more food, particularly meat. According to Collingham,
eating good food and lots of it was the way that America
indicated its power, and this stayed in the pysche. Number six, "The Chicken of Tomorrow". Made in 1948, "The Chicken of Tomorrow" walks through a call to action
for mid-century scientists to breed a chicken whose
body produces more meat. The video refers to the birds as the most widely-grown farm product. Erasing their individuality, poultry was seen as a big
moneymaker for farmers and companies looking for additional ways to maximize profit. Although the video isn't graphic, it takes a cold approach to
the mass production of chicks shipped from hatching
facilities without food or water to start their lives as egg-laying hens. It's not so different from the way the egg industry is today. Female chicks become egg layers until their bodies are spent, and male chicks, seen as useless, are typically ground up alive. Although the video says that range life is good for chickens, the reality is much less bucolic. (lively dramatic music) - [Film Narrator] A hen
that lays 210 eggs a year and eats 70 pounds of feed is giving you three eggs for
every pound you feed her. - [Narrator] Chickens
are framed as moneymakers for the egg and meat industries, not respected as
individual sentient beings. The chicken of tomorrow has
a bigger body with more meat. Today's birds have suffered immensely due to efforts to maximize profit. According to Mercy for Animals, the chicken of today is bred to grow large at such a quick rate that many birds are immobilized
under their own weight. Because they're too
large to stand or walk, this makes factory farms a breeding ground for salmonella and fecal contamination. As a result, the majority of chicken meat is washed with chlorine
of other disinfectants. Number seven, "This is
the Dairy Industry". The 1957 video "This
is the Dairy Industry" is all about how dairy enriches
American middle class life. It's essentially an infomercial aimed at recruiting
dairy industry workers. - Why not tie your future to milk? It's a huge industry and a growing one. An industry that has expanded tremendously and with our growing population is still expanding by leaps and bounds. - [Narrator] It also pushes milk, cheese, and butter as essential foods. According to the video,
dairy products represented nearly 30% of the
American diet at the time. - [Film Narrator] Well put it this way. Every fourth bite of food
the American family eats represents milk or a
product derived from milk. In fact, nearly 30% of the
diet of the American family. - [Narrator] Products like
milk, cheese, and butter were considered healthful. Today their high saturated
fat and sodium contents are linked to high cholesterol
and high blood pressure. At the time, it was normal
to give cow's milk to babies, and it was considered a food habit that stays with you throughout life. Dairy was also thought to help athletes build strong healthy bodies, much like the Got Milk?
campaigns of the 1990s. But today, many athletes who
have stopped drinking milk, like several members of the LA Dodgers, report improved recovery time
and reduced inflammation. The video also suggests
that people depend on milk even in times of serious illness
and that folks need milk. - And remember this, Tom. Where the demand for other
may fluctuate over the years, not milk and its products, because folks need milk every day as much as, well, almost as
much as the oxygen in the air. - [Narrator] It celebrates automation, just like so many other
videos have at the time, and how it's allowed
for the mass production not only of milk, butter, and cheese, but also to develop new products. The dairy industry is
shown as the ideal career for professional backgrounds of all kinds, from engineers to scientists and people working in the
food and advertising agencies. Methods of promoting
dairy to increase sales include tie-in promotions
with other food products to public relations for
schoolchildren to indoctrinate them in a lifelong relationship
with dairy products. (light jazz music) Bonus: Fast food ads. Fast food ads are
omnipresent in our lives. You'll see them on television, magazines, the internet, billboards,
public transportation, and hear them on radio. Fast food chains have used
several advertising tactics to promote their food, such as implying that
their menu is healthy. - [Commercial Narrator] It's
way better than fast food. It's Wendy's. - [Narrator] Many, including
Burger King, Arby's, Carl's Jr. And Hardee's have
used sex to sell their food. KFC recently launched I
Love You, Colonel Sanders, a finger-licking good dating
simulator developed by Psyop. The object of the game
is to win over the heart of a sexified young anime Colonel Sanders by impressing him with
your cooking skills. Oddly enough, it's not the first time KFC has used a mixture of sexualization and a sense of humor
to sell fried chicken. A 2017 ad starring a
muscular Colonel Sanders had a topless oiled man
reading a steamy romance novel to the viewer. In a 2019 Mother's Day ad... - Oh, howdy, Mom. - [Narrator] A thin,
muscular Colonel Sanders dances topless with a group
of Chickendales performers. Catchy slogans are often
used by fast food restaurants to ensure that people remember
to spend their money there. Some examples are... - Where's the beef? (McDonald's whistling jingle) - [Commercial Narrator]
Think outside the bun. (bell dings) - [Narrator] Those are just a few examples of vintage animal agriculture
industry propaganda as well as the more recent campaigns. Have you noticed any
other modern examples? Let us know in the comments below. As always, remember to subscribe and hit the notification bell. New videos every Tuesday and Friday. (light jazz music)
