“World War 2 Rationing”. The Home Front.  Copyright 2005. Online Highways.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1674.html

• The government found it necessary to ration food, gas, and even clothing during that time. Americans were asked to conserve on everything. With not a single person unaffected by the war, rationing meant sacrifices for all. In the spring of 1942, the Food Rationing Program was set into motion.
• Joining together to support and maintain supply levels for the troops abroad meant making daily adjustments. Their efforts also included scrap drives, taking factory jobs, goods donations and other similar projects to assist those on the front.
• Rationing regulated the amount of commodities that consumers could obtain. Sugar rationing took effect in May 1943 with the distribution of "Sugar Buying Cards." Registration usually took place in local schools. Each family was asked to send only one member for registration and be prepared to describe all other family members. Coupons were distributed based on family size, and the coupon book allowed the holder to buy a specified amount.

Smith, L.W.N. “Clothes Rationing in World War 2”. The Home Front Museum. Copyright 2004. http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Online%20Museum/Museum%20Docs/clothing1.html

• The war made it almost impossible to import cloth and other materials from abroad and the clothing manufacturers in Britain had more important items to make for the war effort, such as uniforms, parachutes and other items needed in the battle against Germany.
• Each person was allowed a maximum of 66 coupons per year, which was equivalent to 1 complete outfit per year.
  Growing children however were allocated an extra 10 clothing coupons above the standard ration each year. Clothing in small sizes had lower coupon values than adult-sized garments.

Coupons Needed for Clothing & Footwear

Men Women Child
	Raincoat Overcoat Jacket Shirt (Not Woollen) Blouse Trousers (Woollen) Shorts (Not Woollen) Night dress Socks Skirt Boots, shoes Handkerchiefs	16 7 13 5 8 3 3 7 1	15 7 12 - 4 8 3 6 8 1	11 4 8 3 3 6 2 5 1 6 2 1

“Rationing.” World War Two the Home Front. Copyright 2005. History on the Net.http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/home_front.htm#Rationing

• From the beginning of the war, one of Hitler's tactics against Britain was to use submarines to torpedo ships bringing supplies to Britain. This meant that imported goods were in short supply.
• Every man, woman and child was given a ration book for food and had to register with a grocery store. The grocery store was only given enough food for the people on their list. When someone bought rationed food, the grocer stuck a sticker in his or her ration book to show that that week's ration had been purchased.
• At first only butter, sugar and bacon was rationed. By the middle of 1940 all meat, eggs, cheese, jam, tea and milk was also rationed. Clothes were rationed from June 1941 due to a shortage of raw materials and also to allow the factories and workers to concentrate on producing weapons, aircraft and ammunition for the war.

One Person's Weekly Food Allowance

Draeger, Carey. “Culinary History.” World War II Rationing –Part 2. Copyright 2006.
Creative Marketeam Canada Ltd.
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_history/27411

• Food manufacturers took advantage of wartime shortages to flaunt their patriotism. Swift and Company proclaimed in its ads for Treet (similar to SPAM), "Meat is the materiel of war!" Stokely's proudly announced, "It takes food to win a war . . . and Uncle Sam's fighting men are the best fed in the world. We are proud to report that some part of every crop of Stokely's vegetables and fruits is being sent to the Allied Forces."

• Some stores sold only nonrationed items to attract the customers tired of trying to figure out what coupon went with which item. One Ypsilanti, Michigan, market stocked large amounts of canned turkey and chicken, pickled pig's feet, pastas, pancakes, pickles and eggs instead of rationed items.

• Victory gardens were another way the average citizen dealt with food shortages and contributed to the war effort. The U.S. government proposed them as a national food-growing effort, similar to the Liberty gardens of World War I. The term "victory garden" dates back to a book entitled "Victory Garden" that was written in 1603 by Englishman Richard Gardner. Gardner argued, "if any citie or towne should be besieged with the enemy, what better provision for the greatest number of people can be than every garden to be sufficiently planted with carrots?"
• Empty lots, school fields, former flower gardens and back yards were cultivated for Victory gardens, viable sources of fresh and preservable foods. Even people who had never held a hoe or spade or worked with fertilizers and seeds were raising tomatoes and green beans in tiny garden plots. For an investment of $1.30 for seeds (1940s prices). $1.50 for fertilizer, a full day's hard work to prepare the plot and approximately 7 to 8 hours per week tending the garden, the average family could enjoy 4 to 5 months' worth of fresh vegetables.

Risbey, Peter N. “Rationing.” Copyright 2002 
http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/meltingpot/oxford/330/ration/ratn1.html#

• On 1st December 1941 the Ministry of Food introduced the points rationing scheme for items such as canned meat, fish and vegetables at first. Later items such as rice, canned fruit, condensed milk, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cornflakes were added. Everyone was given 16 points a month, later raised to twenty, to spend as wished at any shop that had the items wanted.
• On 1st December 1941 the Ministry of Food introduced the points rationing scheme for items such as canned meat, fish and vegetables at first. Later items such as rice, canned fruit, condensed milk, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cornflakes were added. Everyone was given 16 points a month, later raised to twenty, to spend as wished at any shop that had the items wanted.

• Bread, soap, bananas, and potatoes were also rationed during this period. In 1951 people could still buy only 10d. (4p) worth of meat each week.

Two new commodities were rationed after the war. Bread was rationed from 1946 to 1948 and potatoes for a year from 1947. The points system ended in 1950.
Rationing continued in this country for 14 years until 1954, when meat was finally de-rationed.

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