Food Science/Food Politics: Max Rubner and ‘Rational Nutrition’ in Fin-de-Siècle Berlin

The city of Brussels, with only 66,000 inhabitants around 1800, acquired political weight when it became a part-time capital of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, and a full-time capital with Belgiums independence in 1830. Along with its thriving political role, Brussels regained industrial, financial, cultural and social importance. Brussels food control system oscillates between concerns about health, trade, and social monitoring, emphasizing the social dimension. The part played by the city of Brussels is an innovator and model in the field of food control. To deal with the growing problems, a new national law was passed in August 1890, leading to the establishment of a national bureau of food control. This chapter has emphasized the discourses and practices of the Brussels government, but through these, the public, the manufacturers, the traders, and the state have also appeared.