Bringing together a range of case studies from nine European countries, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the transition from under-nutrition to obesity, offering the historical context to these vitally important contemporary issues.

Contents: Preface; Introduction, Derek J. Oddy and Peter J. Atkins; Part 1 Trends in Food Consumption and Consumer Choice: Century of hunger, century of plenty: how abundance arrived in Alpine valleys, Josef Nussbaumer and Andreas Exenberger; From Soviet cuisine to Kremlin diet: changes in consumption and lifestyle in 20th-century Russia, Tatiana Voronina; Slovene food consumption in the 20th century - from self-sufficiency to mass consumerism, Maja Godina Golija; The stop-go era: restoring food choice in Britain after World War II, Derek J. Oddy. Part 2 Industrial and Commercial Influences on Food Consumption: How food products gained an individual 'face': trademarks as a medium of advertising in the growing modern market economy in Germany, Hans Jÿrgen Teuteberg; Labelling standard information and food consumption in historical perspective: an overview of state regulation in Spain 1931-1975, Gloria Sanz Lafuente; Food labelling for health in the light of Norwegian nutrition policy, Gun Roos; Sugar production and consumption in France in the 20th century, Alain Drouard; Controlling fat and sugar in the Norwegian welfare state, Unni Kjÿrnes and Runar Dÿving. Part 3 Social and Medical Influences: Diet, body types, inequality and gender: discourses on 'proper nutrition' in German magazines and newspapers (c.1930-2000), Jÿrgen Schmidt; Food consumption and risk of obesity: the medical discourse in France 1850-1930, Julia Csergo; Slimming through the Depression: obesity and reducing in interwar Britain, Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska; Socialism and the overweight nation: questions of ideology, science and obesity in Czechoslovakia, 1950-70, Martin Franc; Separated, but sharing a health problem: obesity in East and West Germany, 1945-1989, Ulrike Thoms; Conclusion, Derek J. Oddy and Peter J. Atkins; Index.