04 May Empty Pleasures: The Story of Artificial Sweeteners from Saccharin to Splenda
Carolyn de la Peña (Department of American Studies, UC Davis)
Wednesday, May 4 / 1:30 PM
McCune Conference Room, 6020 HSSB
Carolyn de la Peña will discuss her new book, Empty Pleasures. Sugar substitutes have been a part of American life since saccharin was introduced at the 1893 World’s Fair. In Empty Pleasures, the first history of artificial sweeteners in America, Carolyn de la Peña blends popular culture with business and women’s history, examining the invention, production, marketing, regulation, and consumption of sugar substitutes such as saccharin, Sucaryl, NutraSweet, and Splenda. She describes how saccharin, an accidental laboratory by-product, was transformed from a perceived adulterant into a healthy ingredient.
Sponsored by the IHC’s Food Studies RFG and the Dept. of History.