At the universities, nutritionists and home economists taught a new scientific approach to food. During World War I the Progressives' moral advice about food conservation was emphasized in large-scale state and federal programs designed to educate housewives. Large-scale foreign aid during and after the war brought American standards to Europe.
Newspapers and magazines ran recipe columns, aided by research from corporate kitchens, which were major food manufactures like General Mills, Campbell's, and Kraft Foods. One characteristic of American cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles. For example, spaghetti is Italian, while hot dogs are German; a popular meal, especially among young children, is spaghetti containing slices of hot dogs. The fact that most Americans don't really even see this as a fusion recipe shows just how common this trend is. Since the 1960s Asian cooking has played a particularly large role in American fusion cuisine.