Milk: The Food of Foods was originally written in 1938 and printed again in 1939. It is clear that the focus of the cookbook is to encourage Canadians to consume an adequate amount of milk in their diet, and to use various dairy products in their recipes to ensure all family members achieved a specific level of health and wellness. In 1937, just a year before Milk: The Food of Foods was written, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was recommending a quart of milk a day for children up to the age of eighteen. This recommendation was also adopted by many Canadians, resulting in significant demand for safe, affordable, and accessible milk products. At the time, milk was considered an essential food in Canada. Insufficient amounts of milk consumption were linked to malnutrition and various contagious diseases. According to public health officials in the 1930s, milk was one of the “four pillars” of health. Women were especially eager to provide milk to their children as milk represented maternal love and motherly care for children's well-being. For these reasons, the emphasis that Pepper placed on women and their responsibility to include milk in their family’s diet directly ties in with the trend that milk consumption led to better health. 

In addition to emphasizing women's role in ensuring children consumed enough milk, Milk: The Food of Foods highlights the gender roles that were common in early 20th century Canada. Pepper includes several sections in the cookbook that contain recommendations for Canadian mothers specifically and it is clear that the book's targeted audience is mothers. The gender roles presented in Milk: The Food of Foods align with the expectations of the time that women look after the home and family's needs. 

It is also important to consider what Milk: The Food of Foods tells us about the state of Canadian agriculture at the time it was published. Between 1929 and 1933 in Canada, the Great Depression impacted the lives of millions, including farmers. The market for potato, grain, and other produce exports declined due to adverse weather conditions, which led to farmers needing to rely on the more stable and self-sufficient markets of dairy and poultry production. Due to the conditions of the Great Depression, many cheese and butter factories in Canada had to close their doors, leaving farmers with no choice but to turn to urban markets for their dairy sales. The various changes to agriculture in Canada during this time may explain why the Department of Agriculture, who published Milk: The Food of Foods, placed so much emphasis on milk consumption and pushed consumers to buy milk regularly.