In this informative work, Amy Bentley tastefully brings the history of baby food in America to life. The culmination of the author's expertise in cultural and societal histories of food, Inventing Baby Food, traces the emergence of commercialized baby food from the 1890s through the twenty-first century. Not only does it recognize the impact on marketing of economic state of the country, it also provides insight into marketing strategies that prey on maternal anxieties. Bentley also captures relevant concerns with the use of industrialized baby food, bringing into context scientific research of foods, their effect on human development, and their relationship to physical illnesses that can ultimately lead to morbidity and mortality.

Chapter 1 provides an important foundation for understanding the history of infant feeding as it evolved from breastfeeding, to the use of formula, and then to the introduction of solid foods. It clearly provides a timeline from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, noting the fears associated foods thought to cause illness, the discovery of basic food elements—vitamins and minerals, and the beginning of baby food industrialization. Most importantly, it discusses marketing and methods of advertisement as a driving force for the adoption of commercial baby food in the United States.

Promotion of commercial baby food by journalists, home economists, and dieticians is reviewed in Chapter 2. This combined with American consumerism after WWII made the use of commercial baby food common. Given its availability, advertisement, and the recommendations of health care professionals to start the early feeding of solids, “commercially produced baby food was no longer a novelty but a necessity, even a requirement, according to conventional wisdom for ‘properly’ raised and nourished children” (p. 45).

Chapter 3 focuses on the infant diet from the 1960s through the 1970s. It demonstrates how commercial baby food that had been the norm started to become a questionable product. By the 1970s inflation, environmental awareness, and a distrust of the United States government brought about a cultural change. This new found apprehension against authority spurred consumer activists to question the safety and quality of processed foods. Investigations of commercially prepared foods related their nutritional content to medical illnesses. Medical experts warned that processed foods could predispose infants to prefer sweets—thus, increasing their health risks. Mothers who once trusted blindly in commercial baby food began to read food labels, and the slogan of “breast is best for baby” (p. 99) began.

The dietary changes of the 1970s through the 1990s, including health foods and natural foods, are explored in Chapter 4. As Americans were urged to avoid ingesting chemical additives, mothers became savvy, using new appliances and food processors to make homemade baby food. This reestablishment of control permitted mothers to evaluate and provide a healthier diet for their infants, which was more cost effective than buying jars of commercial baby food. Further, producers of commercial baby food were required to begin placing expiration dates and food labels stating the percentages of its contents. Eventually, the commercial baby food industry was pressured into removing additives, and creating organic lines, overall making it more attractive than ever, especially with the increase in women working outside of the home.

Chapter 5 focuses on the twenty-first century and the continued change of the commercial baby food industry. To meet needs of the busy health-conscious consumer, organic baby food companies began to grow in number. In addition, a variety of new, convenient, commercial baby food packaging options emerged that included plastics and pouches. Current research findings are presented on the expanding health crisis of obesity among all age groups and the effects of certain foods on physical wellbeing. This research aided in designing governmental food assistance programs and continued promotion of breastfeeding. This chapter also cites research that associated the timing of introduction of solid foods with allergy prevention, as well as newer concepts such as self-led weaning and avoiding pureed foods all together.

One theme is clear throughout the book—the industrialization of baby food shaped food preferences among Americans. Bentley clearly outlines this process by demonstrating the decline in breastfeeding as use of commercial baby food and formula rose. Here, early consumption may have changed food preferences. Bentley also analyzes the promotion of a good parent is one who introduces appropriate foods and nutrition. In addition to this theme, it is apparent that baby food companies had many questionable marketing techniques and strategies for product promotion. Some of these methods used to increase profits were at times unethical. For this reason alone, it is easy to view them negatively.

Inventing Baby Food: Taste, Health, and the Industrialization of the American Diet is an incredibly thorough and comprehensive work—presenting the impact of societal changes on cultural norms intertwined with scientific knowledge. Although Bentley focuses on the maternal role in shaping baby food practices, it would be wise for any parent to review content provided in Inventing Baby Food. Awareness of the history and evolution of food practices can be an empowering factor when making food choices for one's child. The only downfall of this thought- provoking information is that she leaves the reader wanting to know “what is the proper food for a baby”? Unfortunately, this is a question that will continue to have a changing answer. Perhaps Bentley herself states this best noting that with “changes over time in scientific understanding, cultural imperatives and values, and feeding practices and food habits, and it is probably naïve to assume that we have arrive at a place of finality. What we perceive today as the best practices in infant food and feeding will undoubtedly change in the future” (p. 162).