109: The military has its fingers in your food

DecodeDC

Nestled in the woods just outside of Boston sits the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center. The base does research on the necessities soldiers need on the frontline, such as clothing, shoes, body armor and food. Part of Natick’s mandate is to get the food science it uses in producing military combat rations onto grocery store shelves and into your kitchen. That’s what Anastascia Marx de Salcedo writes about in her new book, “Combat Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat.” On the latest podcast, we sit down with de Salcedo to discuss the military’s massive influence on the American diet and its ultimate goal of creating a nation that is in a constant state of preparedness for the next war.