A History of the Industrialisation of Food and Its Impact on Women

Abstract

The damaging effects of the enclosure of the commons and the Industrial Revolution on British food culture are examined. The enclosures, which preceded and accompanied the industrialisation of Britain, dispossessed the peasantry of their land and livelihoods. The loss of land from which to grow, gather and feed themselves had a devastating effect on the dispossessed rural population and a previously vibrant food culture. The focus is particularly on how this loss affected women, leading to a loss of their food knowledge and skills, and hence to both their social and economic status. The impact of the Scientific Revolution on agriculture and food production is explored and this profound shift in thinking, along with the Acts of Enclosure, laid the foundation for the development of capitalism and the eventual full industrialisation of the food system which exists in much of the world today.