The Dark Days of World War II Food Rationing
Historic help for eating in the time of coronavirus
With the entrance of America into World War II in December 1941 major adjustments were required on the American homefront. Thanks to the Lend-Lease Act, large quantities of food and other supplies were going overseas to bring aid to the allies. Be prepared, America told her citizens, for the possibility of shortages especially in things like gasoline, steel, and electricity.
Thoughts of the first world war surfaced for many. Along with vivid memories of pain and loss, they remembered something else — the food shortages. People began stockpiling common household staples and canned goods in anticipation of what was to come.
In an effort to control frantic rushes on the local grocery stores, President Roosevelt created the Office of Price Administration. Their mission was to cap prices on all commodities, other than agricultural, and to institute rationing of popular items before things went wild. And so in January 1942, the Emergency Price Control Act came into effect. Food rationing had arrived, and American housewives were challenged with creating balanced meals using limited food, and ingredients they were unaccustomed to.
