Cornflake Story, The

Synopsis

Cornflakes were a new foodstuff created by industrialisation. The programmes traces how the food, first developed as part of a religious health regime, had become ‘the nation’s breakfast’ in America. Dr John Harvey Kellogg took over the running of the modest Seventh Day Adventist Health Reform Institute in Battle Creek, Michigan, toward the end of the 19th century. By the 1920s he had developed it into a luxury health resort. W K Kellogg bought out his brother and made cornflakes manufacture into an automated mass-production operation. He advertised the cereal into existence, taking full advantage of the new advertising techniques. In the 1920s Kellogg’s moved into the British market where its success was aided not only by extensive advertising but also by the vigorous promotion of milk. In 1938 Kellogg’s set up a factory in Manchester. Today, per capita, Britons now eat more cereals than Americans.

Series

Science, Technology and Everyday Life 1870-1950, Course A282

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 25 min.

Year of production

1988

Availability

OUT OF DISTRIBUTION

Subjects

Technology

Keywords

advertising; food production and distribution; history of technology; manufacturing industries; marketing

Credits

Producer

Betty Talks

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk