1948 - Food And Drink

Food And Drink

The London Co-Operative Society opens Britain's first full-sized supermarket January 12 at Manor Park (see 1951).

U.S. sales of frozen orange juice concentrate leap to more than 12 million six-ounce cans (see 1947; Minute Maid, 1949).

"V-8" Cocktail Vegetable Juice, introduced by Campbell Soup Co., is a mixture of tomato, carrot, celery, beet, parsley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach juices (see Swanson, 1955).

Frank Perdue takes over management of his father's Perdue Farms. Now 28, he has 40 employees and is one of the largest egg producers on Maryland's Eastern Shore but will refocus on producing chickens for retail customers.

Gerber Products Co. sells 2 million cans and jars of baby food per week (see 1941; MSG, 1951).

Reynold Metals Co. introduces Reynolds Wrap, an aluminum foil that will find wide use in roasting and baking in U.S. kitchens. The product meets with such overwhelming success that the company is forced to seek new sources of bauxite.

G. F. Heublein promotes its Smirnoff Vodka by using the newly-introduced Polaroid Camera. A fad develops that helps to popularize the liquor that will soon be sold with the double-entendre advertising slogan, "It Leaves You Breathless." Beginning with the Moscow Mule developed 2 years ago, Heublein will develop a series of vodka drinks, including the vodka Martini, the Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice), and the Bloody Mary (vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce), and by the mid-1970s vodka will be outselling whiskey in the United States.