The 1960s saw intense debates about food safety in the United States, fueled by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) and concerns about the use of pesticides and chemical additives. The decade also saw the passage of the Food Additives Amendment of 1958 (which established the GRAS list) and the Color Additives Amendment of 1960. These debates laid the groundwork for later food safety reforms.

The food safety debates of the 1960s inspired a new wave of environmental and social criticism in literature. Poets and writers like Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder explored the connections between food, nature, and culture, and their work contributed to the growing countercultural movement. The debates also influenced the development of food writing as a genre.