Over the past two years alone, sales of specialty foods in the U.S. outpaced most sectors of the economy, rocketing up 19% to $75 billion in 2011. The food industry generates about half a trillion dollars in annual sales, has created 2 million jobs more than the past decade and now employs more than 13 million Americans, according to the National Restaurant Association.
To understand just how far we've come from canned vegetables, frozen or even powdered orange juice and generic diner food, here are some of the food innovations that have changed our lives, mostly for the better: