National Archives Looks at How the Government Influences What Americans Eat

By Michael Crupain, MD, MPH

The National Archives is the repository for important US government documents.  At the main branch in Washington DC, documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are available for view.  Recently a new exhibit was set up just down the hall from these great papers titled “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government’s Effect on the American Diet.”  The small exhibit which runs until January 3^rd 2012 uses items from the Archives to explain a number of different US policies that have effected how food is grown, regulated, and eaten.