Last updated: November 16, 2023
Article
Food Rationing on the World War II Home Front
US Army photo, Signal Corps (VRIN: 410112-O-ZZ999-001).
Introduction
Food is usually what we think of when we think of wartime rationing (though many other items were also rationed). Certainly, it affected every American every day, so perhaps that isn’t a surprise. There were several factors in why food was rationed during World War II, including supply and demand issues, military needs, and the economy.
While demand had been building in the years prior, when the US joined the war, demand for materials and supplies skyrocketed. Among these were the metals needed for tin cans. The military needed to be able to can foods for military rations – both for the US and for the other Allies. Also needed by the military in huge quantities were the ingredients that went into the rations. Meat, chocolate, coffee, Girl Scout cookies, and other foods either disappeared or were highly restricted from the consumer market.[1]
Coffee, cooking oils, and sugar was limited not just by their use to feed the military, but also because of the war itself. All shipments were limited by the transition of civilian cargo vessels to military transport use. In addition, shipments of coffee from Central and South America were disrupted by enemy submarine attacks.[2] As Japan captured places across the Pacific, they cut the US off from our main source of cooking oils.[3] In December 1941, Japan cut the US off entirely from its main sugar supply when they captured the Philippines. Sugar crops from elsewhere in the US (Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) couldn’t make up the difference. Crops in these areas were lower due to poor weather, lack of fertilizer, and a shortage of agricultural labor.[4]
Across the US, agricultural workers were drafted into the military or moved from the farms to industrial centers to work. At the same time, the need for food was booming: America was both the arsenal and the bread basket of democracy.[5] The resulting shortage of labor risked the American food supply – for the military and for civilians. In response, the government formed the Crop Corps, the Women’s Land Army, and established the Bracero Program.[6] They also leased out prisoners of war as farm labor, gave work passes to incarcerated Japanese Americans, and encouraged civilians to plant Victory Gardens to provide their own produce. The result was that agricultural production in the US did not collapse during World War II, but there were still supply and demand issues for certain categories of foods.
Rationing was overseen by the federal Office of Price Administration (OPA), assisted by information from other wartime agencies. Using their nation-wide overview of supply, demand, and the economy, the OPA dictated which items to ration, set ceiling prices, and allocated available supply. These limits both ensured a fair distribution of goods, and helped to keep inflation in check. Rationing was managed at the local level by volunteer rationing boards. By the end of the war, over 100,000 citizen volunteers were managing the program organized into about 5,600 local boards.[7]
Left image
“Let’s TEAM UP to keep food prices down – for the sake of America’s future.” Office of War Information, 1944.
Credit: Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 514887).
Right image
“We Are Severely Rationed… Therefore, We Are Forced to Ration You. We can serve you only our allotment. We will not resort to Black Markets.” Sign from the S and W Cafeteria, Raleigh, NC, September 1943.
Credit: Collection of the State Archives of North Carolina (WWII 11_F1_P3).
Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 514549).
To buy rationed foods, shoppers had to produce the right ration stamps or coupons plus the monetary cost of the item (which was not to exceed the government-set ceiling prices). To control the rate of spending and discourage hoarding of products, ration coupons and stamps were only good for certain periods of time.[8]
Food was mostly rationed on the point system, since supply and demand shifted often, as foods came in and out of season (for example). Products with high demand and low availability needed more points than more readily-available goods. Coffee and sugar were available with their own coupons, since they were rationed at fairly stable amounts per person.
Throughout the war, the OPA added and removed things from the ration list as needed. They also adjusted point values, ceiling prices, and the amounts of coffee and sugar per person per month.[9]
Just because shoppers had coupons for rationed items and some items were not rationed did not guarantee they would be on the shelves at the grocery. Shortages also affected retailers, restaurants, hospitals, and manufacturers. They each had to navigate systems of food rationing. Across the country, some buyers and suppliers turned to the black market for products they wanted but could not get legally.
Transcript
Speaker 1: Wartime America faces the greatest demand for food in our history. Food for our Army and Navy. Food for the invasion front. Food for ourselves on the home front. Food to help our fighting allies and the people of the allied countries. It takes pounds of food a day to keep a soldier on the fighting front. Millions of pounds of food each day. The best way to supply our men overseas and are fighting allies with most of the foods they need is in dried form and in cans. In addition to the military, other factors affect our canned food supply. Take tin, for example. Our major peacetime sources have been cut off by the enemy. Our railroads and other transportation facilities are being taxed to their utmost carrying munitions, armaments, war supplies and troops. That leaves less shipping space for civilian food stuffs. And then there's the farm labor shortage. All this means that we at home will have less canned fruits, vegetables, soups, and other processed foods for our use. Without rationing of these foods, some people would get more than their fair share. Others would not even get what they need. But rationing assures every one of his fair share. That is why your government is rationing canned fruits and vegetables and other processed foods. Until now, we have been rationing one item at a time like sugar and coffee. But processed fruits and vegetables are not one product. They are hundreds of products in hundreds of different brands, grade, sizes, varieties. In cans, bottles, packages, in dried and frozen form. One cannot say, as in the case of sugar, each citizen will be allowed two cans of peaches a week or four cans of spinach. It may be true that some people don't like spinach. Some of you may want to buy canned corn. Others of you may want to buy canned peas or spinach. So, the question arises, what method of rationing can be used so that each citizen may get his fair share of canned fruits and vegetables and other commercially packed foods, and that will still allow freedom of choice? The system which has been adopted and has worked successfully in England for over a year is called point rationing. In the point rationing system, all these foods are grouped together and your ration book is used to buy those you like. Those items which are not so scarce will take fewer points. Items which are more scarce will take more points. Point stamps to buy these ration goods are in War Ration Book Two. This book contains blue and red stamps. Blue stamps are to be used for canned fruits, vegetables, soups, juices, and other processed foods. Red stamps will be used for meat. This is a typical page of blue stamps in War Ration Book Two. Notice that the stamps are given point numbers: eight, five, two, one. Everyone will get 48 points each period. That means you'll use blue stamps A, B, C for the first period, D, E, F for the second and so forth. Point values will be the same in all stores. Every store in which you shop must post the official table of point values of all point rationed items in all sizes. From time to time, point values may change and stores will post the new point values. Here's an example of how point rationing works. This lady all decked out with her family's brand new ration books starts out to do some shopping. First of all, she wants to buy a can of peas [writes 8 on her list]. She wants to buy a can of chicken soup [writes 5 on her list]. And she wants some dried prunes [writes 1 on her list]. Well, there's our list complete, and all that remains to be done is to tear out 14 points in stamps and pay the grocer. But wait just a minute, just for fun, let's take another look at that point ration table. Hey, slow down there. What about those string beans? Why, they're only three points in the size we want. If we buy those instead of peas, we can save five points. And what's this? Fresh apples don't require any points. Well, why not buy those instead of dried prunes and save another point. So there we are, our shopping list complete, with the same amount of goods and with six points saved for future use. Smart girl. She's smart in more ways than one too, because she used her large stamps first, wisely saving her small ones for low point purchases later on, because she shops early in the day and so helps her grocer. Because wherever possible, she substitutes unrationed fresh fruits and vegetables for canned or processed ones. This is point rationing. This is the way to assure everyone here at home an equal opportunity to get the same fair share. This is the way to assure food for our fighting men and for are fighting allies. Share and share alike is the American way to victory.
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- Duration:
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A US Government-produced animated video about point rationing of foods during World War II.
Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017847024).
A Confusing System
With its ever-changing list of what was being rationed, application processes, and varying categories of access, living with rationing could feel uncertain and confusing. But food rationing was especially challenging to navigate. Not only were most foods rationed using the points system, but there were also ceiling prices to navigate.
Ration Books
During the course of the war, there were five ration books printed, and four issued (Ration Book 5 was printed in 1945, but the war ended and it was not issued). Ration cards were also issued to Mexican nationals along the border who wanted to purchase food in the United States.[10]
Every food rationed on the point system was assigned a point value by the government. The number of points needed changed relatively frequently, based on supply, demand, region, and economic factors.[11] These changes were publicized in newspapers and on radio across the country.[12]
Ration Books & Tokens
Top image
“Red And Blue Point Changes Due Sept. 5.” This published update shows the complexity of food rationing, and does not include ceiling prices. Pittsburgh Press, September 2, 1943.
Credit: Pittsburgh Press (1943) “Red And Blue Point Changes Due Sept. 5.” Pittsburgh Press September 2, 1943, p. 14.
Bottom image
Blue and red 1-point ration tokens introduced in 1944.
Credit: Collection of the author.
Collection of the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ceiling Prices
Ceiling prices were the maximum allowed to be charged for certain products. The OPA set top prices for meat, poultry, eggs, butter, milk, flour, cereals, bread, fats and oils, processed foods, bananas, sugar, coffee, dried fruits, packaged cheese, soaps and cleansers. These were published in local newspapers, and could change based on supply, demand, region, and economic factors – just like points. But there were also four categories of stores, categorized by volume of business.
Group 1 stores had the least volume; Group 4 had the most. Group 1 and 2 stores were permitted to charge higher ceiling prices than Group 3 and 4 stores, to allow for higher costs in doing business.[17] The continuous moving parts of point values and top prices for foods was a challenge for consumers, but also for businesses. Because both points and prices had to be labeled together, every time one changed, grocers had to re-label products.[18] And while people sometimes chose to dine out to save ration points, restaurants also had to operate under rationing restrictions, and to post their ceiling prices.
Collection of Duke University Libraries, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library (ark:/87924/r32j68f3s).
Rationed Foods
The categories of rationed foods during the war were sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.
Sugar
Sugar was rationed from May 1942 through June 1947--well after the war ended.[19] It was the first food rationed, and the last to be taken off the ration list. At the beginning of US joining World War II, each person was allotted 26 pounds of sugar per year (about 8 oz per week).
The amounts per person were calculated quarterly based on availability and need (military, consumer, and industry). In 1945, the per person ration for sugar went as low as 4.5oz per person per week.[20] People used alternatives to sweeten their foods, including maple syrup, corn syrup, and fruits. Those canning their own foods could apply for extra sugar.
White House Coffee (1942) “A New England Family of Quality” (advertisement). American Cookery December 1942, p. 184.
Coffee
Coffee was rationed from November 1942 to July 1943. [21] There were bumper crops of coffee in Central and South America at the start of the war. But U-boat attacks on cargo ships and the diversion of cargo capacity for the war meant that a lot of it wasn’t making it to the US.[22] The coffee that did arrive was prioritized for the military.[23]
At the end of November, 1942 the government began rationing coffee. Instead of issuing new ration stamps for coffee, the OPA designated certain stamps in Ration Book One (the “Sugar Book”) to be good for a pound of coffee every five weeks. That ration was soon reduced to one pound every six weeks.
People extended their coffee by using it to brew with multiple times, or with other non-rationed products like chicory. Leftover coffee was also saved to be reheated or used in recipes.[24]
Processed Foods
Processed foods were canned, frozen, dried, or otherwise pre-packaged. Over 300 processed foods were rationed, beginning in March 1943 and lasting through August 1945.[25] By rationing processed foods, scarce metals needed for tin cans and preserved foods were prioritized for military use.[26]
The blue stamps in Ration Books 2, 3, and 4 were used for processed foods. Each person was allocated 48 blue points per month, giving a family of four a total of 192 points for processed food.
Fresh fruits and vegetables were never rationed during World War II.[27] This, however, didn’t mean that the produce wanted was always available. And although not rationed, ceiling prices were established for fresh fruits and vegetables to help keep inflation down.[28]
Consumers could also grow and preserve their own produce in Victory Gardens to avoid spending ration points.
Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 514839).
Cheese, Canned Milk, and Fats
Cheese, canned milk and fats were rationed from March 1943 to November 1945.[29] It was important that the military got enough calcium in their diets. But shipping fluid milk was a problem.
Instead, cheese, butter, and canned milk (evaporated and condensed) were rationed. This ensured a supply of dairy for the military, and diverted more tin cans for the war effort. Fresh milk was not rationed during the war.[30]
Fats
Fats like oils, lard, and butter were also rationed. What little was available in the US was rationed to ensure the military had enough. Fats were not just used for food -- animal fats were also processed to make glycerin. It was a key ingredient to explosives like nitroglycerine, and was used to make bullets and bombs. Glycerin was also needed for war-critical pharmaceuticals, paint for tanks and planes, and for dyeing uniforms.[31]
Even with rationing, the military did not have enough glycerin. Civilians were encouraged to save their kitchen fats, which they could turn in to their butcher. In December 1943, those who turned in waste fats received 2 red ration points and 4 cents per pound.[32]
Red stamps in ration books were points used for meat, cheese, and fats. Each person got 64 red stamps per month, giving a family of four a total of 256 points. Lard was taken off the ration list in March 1944, and shortening and oils in April 1944. Butter and margarine were rationed through November 1945, with butter needing more points.
Knox (1943) “Use Knox Gelatine to Stretch Butter.” Pittsburgh Press December 9, 1943, p. 17.
To ensure margarine was not being sold as butter, it could not be colored yellow except by the consumer. Each pack of margarine was sold with a packet of yellow food coloring that the buyer would mix in.[33] Work-arounds included using peanut butter in baking to replace fats and stretching butter by whipping in other ingredients like honey or incorporating up to 50% of gelatin.[34]
: Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017696775).
Meats and Canned Fish
Meats and canned fish were rationed from March 1943 through November 1945.[35] The beginning of the canned fish ration began with a sudden halt to all sales to help prevent hoarding. Canned fish was needed by the military as a source of protein. In 1943, the military took 80% of canned sardines and mackerel and 60% of the canned salmon. Fresh fish was not rationed.[36]
Meat rationing was done by the cut and the pound. Every cut of most every kind of meat had its own point value plus a ceiling price. These were adjusted as availability and demand shifted.[37] Recipes abounded for how to stretch meat ration points including soups, stews, and casseroles instead of roasts and steaks. There was also a campaign promoting organ meats, rebranded as “variety meats.” Some civilians kept rabbits and chickens in their yards to provide meat and eggs, even though poultry and eggs were not rationed.[38]
Americans, however, loved their meat. Especially beef, which had some of the highest point values and ceiling prices throughout the war. The result was a thriving black market. It was the food that Americans were most willing to go to unpatriotic means to get.[39]
Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017696302).
Making Do
Food rationing was a challenge for consumers and vendors. Magazines and newspapers published tips and recipes for “making do” that used less- or no rationed ingredients. This included meal planning and how to entertain guests.[40]
Example of a Daily Menu
Tomorrow’s Menu (Eat the Basic Seven Every Day)
BREAKFAST: Grapefruit juice, hot cereal, enriched toast with apple butter, coffee, milk.
LUNCHEON: Potato and vegetable pie, enriched hard rolls, butter or fortified margarine, sliced melon, tea, milk.
DINNER: Potato soup, beef and vegetable stew with biscuit top, buttered whole carrots, cabbage and celery salad, enriched bread, butter or fortified margarine, fresh fruit gelatin, coffee, milk.
As mentioned above, people also planted Victory Gardens and raised chickens, rabbits, and even cows to add variety to their meals and extend their ration points. The resulting produce and meats were used fresh or canned for later use. Dehydrating and freezing were also used for preservation, though not as commonly.
This article was written by Megan E. Springate, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, for the NPS Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education. It was funded by the National Council on Public History’s cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.
[1] Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company 1941; Girl Scouts of the USA 2022; Kennett 1985: 118, 124, 126-127. Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company was located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin -- an American World War II Heritage City.
[2] Sundin 2022a.
[3] Sundin 2023b.
[4] Ballinger 1946: 1, 5; Hayes 2000: 77.
[5] Litoff and Smith 1993.
[6] Connolly n.d.; Garcia 2023; Library of Congress n.d.; Litoff and Smith 1993; Martin 2020; Moskowitz 2017; National Museum of American History 2017.
[7] National World War II Museum n.d.
[8] Lee 2021; National World War II Museum n.d.
[9] Ames History Museum n.d.a; Hayes 2000: 4; National World War II Museum n.d.
[10] Duke University Libraries n.d.a, n.d.b, n.d.c.
[11] The Office of Price Administration had nine regions, including Region 9, with jurisdiction over Alaska, the Canal Zone, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands (National Archives and Records Administration n.d.).
[12] United States Office of Price Administration 1943b.
[13] University of Delaware 2021.
[14] University of Delaware 2021.
[15] Sundin 2023c; Duke University Libraries n.d.d; Oregon Secretary of State n.d.
[16] Antek 2020; Sundin 2023c.
[17] United States Office of Price Administration 1943a; Wassberg Johnson 2022
[18] Sundin 2023c.
[19] Ames History Museum n.d.b.
[20] Ballinger 1946: 15; Sundin 2022b.
[21] Ames History Museum n.d.b.
[22] Lokker 2013; Sundin 2022a; Weber and Handley 2016.
[23] Lokker 2013; Rothfeld 2022; Weber and Handley 2016.
[24] American Cookery 1942; Life Magazine 1942; Lokker 2013; Sundin 2022a.
[25] Ames History Museum n.d.b; Sundin 2023c.
[26] Sundin 2023c.
[27] Oregon Secretary of State n.d.
[28] Evening Star 1943.
[29] Ames History Museum n.d.b.
[30] Sundin 2023a. Many households had been relying on canned milk because of limitations in home refrigeration (Hayes 2000: 4).
[31] Sundin 2023b.
[32] Sundin 2023b; Zebrowski 2005.
[33] Clark 2019; Hisano 2020; Sundin 2023b. Hanford, Washington (home of the Hanford Sentinel, which published Clark 2019) is part of the Tri-Cities, Washington State, an American World War II Heritage City. It is also part of Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
[34] Hayes 2000: 29, 157.
[35] Ames History Museum n.d.b.
[36] United Press 1943. This article was published in the Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is an American World War II Heritage City.
[37] Sundin 2023a.
[38] Romm 2014; Sundin 2023a; Wansink 2002.
[39] Hayes 2000: 101; Sundin 2023a; Warhawk Air Museum 2019.
[40] Adams 1944; Brant and Graddy 1944; Corpus Christi Times 1944; Hargrove 1943; Lee 2020; Maddox 1943. Corpus Christi Texas, Paterson New Jersey, and Wilmington North Carolina (sources of these articles) are American World War II Heritage Cities.
[41] Maddox 1943.
Adams, Charlotte (1944) “Daily Menu.” The News (Paterson, NJ) March 13, 1944, p. 15.
Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company (1941) “Aluminum Toys. Catalog no. 123.” Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Collection of the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
American Cookery (1942) “America’s Problem Child: Coffee.” American Cookery, December 1942, p. 192.
Ames History Museum (n.d.a) “World War II Rationing on the U.S. Homefront.” Ames History Museum.
--- (n.d.b ) “Rationed Goods in the U.S. During World War II.” Ames History Museum.
Antek (2020) “A Guide to WW2 OPA Tokens: An Obscure Section of Numismatics.” American Numismatic Association, December 16, 2020.
Ballinger, Roy A. (1946) “Sugar During World War II.” War Records Monograph – 3, United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, June 1946.
Brant, Ruby and Elizabeth Graddy (1944) “Up-to-Date Homemaking: Appetizing Menus for Wartime Meals.” The News (Paterson, NJ) March 13, 1944, p. 15.
Clark, Maxine (2019) “Remember When: We Colored Our Own Margarine.” Hanford Sentinel, June 19, 2019.
Connolly, Joyce (n.d.) “’Farmerettes’ Feed a Nation: Serving the Home Front in the Women’s Land Army.” Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. Corpus Christi Times (1944) “To Use No Points, Keep Lunch Simple.”
Corpus Christi Times May 5, 1944, p. 14. Duke University Libraries (n.d.a) “Meats-Fat-Fish-Cheeses Ration Card for Residents of Border Zone in Mexico” (catalog entry).
Duke University Libraries, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
--- (n.d.b) “Processed Foods – Ration Card for Residents of Border Zone in Mexico” (catalog entry). Duke University Libraries, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
--- (n.d.c) “War Ration Book Five” (catalog entry). Duke University Libraries, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
--- (n.d.d) “War Ration Book Two” (catalog entry). Duke University Libraries, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Evening Star (1943) “Vegetable Price Cut Expected to Result in Immediate Savings.” Evening Star (Washington, DC) October 15, 1943, p. B-4. Chronicling America, Library of Congress.
Garcia, Jerry (2023) “Bracero Program.” Oregon Encyclopedia: A Project of the Oregon Historical Society, April 7, 2023.
Girl Scouts of the USA (2022) “Girl Scout Cookie History.” Girl Scouts of the USA.
Hargrove, Rosette (1943) “Hospitality Not Rationed.” Wilmington Morning Star, June 30, 1943, p. 6.
Hayes, Joanne L. (2000) Grandma’s Wartime Kitchen: World War II and The Way We Cooked. St. Martin’s Press, New York.
Hisano, Ai (2020) “How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food.” Smithsonian Magazine, January 15, 2020.
Kennett, Lee (1985) For the Duration... : The United States Goes to War, Pearl Harbor-1942. Scribner, New York.
Lee, Karen (2021) “Coupons and Canned Corn: What a WWII Shopping List Reveals about Rationing.” Fishwrap: Official Blog of Newspapers.com, August 21, 2021.
--- (2020) “Recipes & Rationing: How WWII Changed How Americans Cooked.” Fishwrap: The Official Blog of Newspapers.com, April 7, 2020.
Library of Congress (n.d.) “1942: Bracero Program.” A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States, Library of Congress Research Guides
Life Magazine (1942) “Coffee Rationing: Hints on How to Make A Good Brew and Stretch the Available Supply.” Life Magazine, November 30, 1942, p. 64-70.
Litoff, Judy Barrett and David C. Smith (1993) “’To the Rescue of the Crops’: The Women’s Land Army During World War II.” Prologue 25(4).
Lokker, Brian (2013). “U.S. Coffee Rationing in World War II.” Coffee Crossroads, January 13, 2013 (updated June 22, 2020).
Maddox, Gaynor (1943) “War Kitchen: Potatoes Pack Vitamin, Mineral, Calorie Punch.” Wilmington Morning Star, October 5, 1943, p. 5.
Martin, Philip (2020) “Mexican Braceros and US Farm Workers.” Farm Labor & Rural Migration News Blogs, Wilson Center, July 10, 2020.
Moskowitz, Daniel B. (2017) “The Crop Corps: How Agriculture Helped Win The War.” World War II Magazine, February 20, 2017.
National Archives and Records Administration (n.d.) “Guide to Federal Records: Records of the Office of Price Administration (OPA).” National Archives and Records Administration.
National Museum of American History (2017) “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1943-1964 / Cosecha Amarga Cosecha Dulce: El programa Bracero 1942-1964.” National Museum of American History.
National World War II Museum n.d. “Rationing.” National World War II Museum.
Oregon Secretary of State (n.d.) “Rationing: A Necessary But Hated Sacrifice.” Life on the Home Front: Oregon Responds to World War II.
Romm, Cari (2014) “The World War II Campaign to Bring Organ Meats to the Dinner Table.” The Atlantic, September 25, 2014.
Rothfeld, Anne (2022) “Coffee Rationing During World War II.” Circulating Now: From the Historical Collections of the National Library of Medicine, November 23, 2022.
Sundin, Sarah (2023a) “Make It Do: Meat and Cheese Rationing in World War II.” Today in World War II History, March 29, 2023.
--- (2023b) “Make It Do: Rationing of Butter, Fats & Oils in World War II.” Today in World War II History, March 27, 2023.
--- (2023c) “Make It Do: Rationing of Canned Goods in World War II.” Today in World War II History, February 27, 2023.
--- (2022a) “Make It Do: Coffee Rationing in World War II.” Today in World War II History, November 21, 2022.
--- (2022b) “Make It Do: Sugar Rationing in World War II.” Today in World War II History, May 2, 2022.
United Press (1943) “Aimed at Hoarding—Canned Meat and Fish Sale Halted by OPA.” Pittsburgh Press, February 18, 1943, p. 1.
United States Office of Price Administration (1943a) Group Services Bulletin no. 4, August 1943. Group Services Branch, Department of Information, Consumer Division, Office of Price Administration. Collection of Oregon State Archives, Defense Council Records, Folder 2, Box 30. From Life on the Home Front: Oregon Responds to World War II.
--- (1943b) “Advance Release for Morning Papers of Thursday, June 3, 1943.” Office of Price Administration, Portland, Oregon, ca. June 2, 1943. Collection of Oregon State Archives, Defense Council Records, Folder 8, Box 35. From Life on the Home Front: Oregon Responds to World War II.
University of Delaware (2021) “WWII Ration Books.” Department of History, University of Delaware.
Vergun, David (2019) “C-Rats Fueled Troops During and After World War II.” DOD News August 13, 2019.
Wansink, Brian (2002) “Changing Eating Habits on the Home Front: Lost Lessons From World War II Research.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing 21(1): 90-99.
Warhawk Air Museum (2019) “From Meatless Monday to Chef Boyardee – The Surprising Lasting Effects of Wartime Rationing.” Warhawk Air Museum, November 22, 2019.
Wassberg Johnson, Sarah (2022) “World War Wednesday: Let’s Team Up to Keep Food Prices Down (1943).” Food History Blog, April 22, 2022.
Weber, Camille and Lauren Handley (2016) “Home Front Friday: Coffee Takes A Cut.” See & Hear: Museum Blog, The National WWII Museum, July 8, 2016.
Zebrowski, Carl (2005) “Victory’s Spread.” America in WWII, June 2005.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The American Home Front Before World War II
3. The American Home Front and the Buildup to World War II
3B The Selective Service Act and the Arsenal of Democracy
4. The American Home Front During World War II
4A A Date That Will Live in Infamy
4A(i) Maria Ylagan Orosa
4C Incarceration and Martial Law
4D Rationing, Recycling, and Victory Gardens
4D(i) Restrictions and Rationing on the World War II Home Front
4D(ii) Food Rationing on the World War II Home Front
4D(ii)(a) Nutrition on the Home Front in World War II
4D(ii)(b) Coffee Rationing on the World War II Home Front
4D(ii)(c) Meat Rationing on the World War II Home Front
4D(ii)(d) Sugar: The First and Last Food Rationed on the World War II Home Front
4D(iii) Rationing of Non-Food Items on the World War II Home Front
4D(iv) Home Front Illicit Trade and Black Markets in World War II
4D(v) Material Drives on the World War II Home Front
4D(v)(a) Uncle Sam Needs to Borrow Your… Dog?
4D(vi) Victory Gardens on the World War II Home Front
4D(vi)(a) Canning and Food Preservation on the World War II Home Front
4E The Economy
4E(i) Currency on the World War II Home Front
4E(ii) The Servel Company in World War II & the History of Refrigeration
5. The American Home Front After World War II
5A The End of the War and Its Legacies
5A(i) Post World War II Food
More From This Series
-
The Home Front During World War IIIllicit Trade and Black MarketsDespite rationing and other limits on goods during the war, some people figured out how to profit and get what they wanted outside the law.
-
The Home Front After World War IIPost World War II FoodWorld War II changed what and how Americans eat -- from a taste for military rations and foreign food to processed foods and candy.
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The Home Front During World War IIVictory GardensHaving to feed an expanded military and a hungry population, the US government encouraged Victory Gardens in communities and backyards.
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