Gene Wolfe's job as a plant engineer before he became a full-time author gave him a front-row seat for other low-quality mid-20th-century American processed foo

Gene Wolfe's job as a plant engineer before he became a full-time author gave him a front-row seat for other low-quality mid-20th-century American processed food. In his novel Peace, it is subtly revealed towards the end of the book that the protagonist’s family business produces Tang (through breaking potatoes down into their starch and then adding flavoring).