The 1820s were a period of growing awareness of food adulteration in Britain, following the publication of Frederick Accum's Treatise on Adulterations of Food (1820). Accum's work sparked public outrage and led to calls for reform. The decade also saw the rise of the consumer movement, as people became more aware of the dangers of food fraud.

Accum's work was a major influence on the literature of the period, providing factual support for the social criticism of Romantic and early Victorian writers. The theme of food adulteration appears in the works of William Cobbett and other radical writers, who used it to critique the inequalities of the industrial system. The decade also saw the rise of the popular press, which covered food safety issues.