One of the most significant domains of any home economic curriculum is Food and Nutrition, although the justifications behind why have evolved over the past 150 years.
In the late 1800’s, the quantity, quality, and types of food available were much more unstable as compared with their levels today (4). There was never a guarantee that any basic food ingredient purchased would be at a proper quality standard, or even be at the stores at all. Also, before the modern concepts of refrigeration and other electric-based utilities, the basic household kitchen was much less equipped to handle the proper storage foods in a sanitary way. Because of this, the food component in home economics programs had a number of different objectives. Central focuses included learning many different ways of preparing nutritious meals with limited ingredients, as well as safe food storage techniques (4). Lessons in creative food preparation were also taught in order to liven up the more mundane aspects that being a homemaker involved. While awareness of food and nutrition began to increase, home economists were able to make positive impacts in the field of food science (4). This helped lay the foundation for how food and nutrition is incorporated into home economics curriculums today.