Many food snacks popular today in the United States were not invented by a cook at a famous restaurant, but rather by food scientists in the U.S. military. From instant coffee and Cheetos to packaged cookies and energy bars, those military scientists were tasked to make food for soldiers that could be easily carried, stored, and eaten. The invention of these foods sped up during World War II. At the time, military scientists needed to develop small, but nutritious food for troops. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo told VOA News that there was a great need for the military to develop modern rations. To do this, the food writer explains, the military had to find many new food processing techniques. It also created a food science research system that exists to this day.