Rationing Word War II

 

  At the start of World War II. Britain imported lots of food from abroad. We imported 50% of our meat, 70% of our cheese, 70% of our sugar, 80% of fruits and about 70% of cereals, and 70% of our fats from abroad. The Germans attacked cargo ships carrying food bound for Britain. They hoped to starve the British nation into submission.
To deal with shortages, the ‘Ministry of Food’ introduced a rationing system. To buy rationed items, each person had to register at the shop of their choice.  They were provided with a ration book containing coupons. The shopkeeper was provided with enough food for registered customers. Customers had to take ration books with them when shopping. The relevant coupon would be cancelled when they bought the goods.

World War II – some Food rations amounts per week per adult

Bacon and Ham	4oz (100grms)
Sugar	8oz (227grms)
Tea (loose)	4oz (113grms)
Meat (by money not weight)	1s 2d
Cheese	2oz (50g)
Butter	2oz (50g)
Sweets	4oz (113grms)

Bacon, butter, sugar meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, lard, milk, canned fruit and dried fruit were some of the foods that were rationed.

Fish wasn’t rationed but became very expensive. Fresh vegetables and fruit were not rationed but supplies were limited. Some types of imported fruit disappeared. Lemons and bananas became unobtainable for most of the war; oranges continued to be sold but greengrocers usually reserved them for children and pregnant women. Other domestically grown fruit such as apples still appeared from time to time, but again the sellers imposed their own restrictions so that customers were often not allowed to buy, more than one apple each. Many people grew their own vegetables. Children become used to wartime restrictions. When asked about bananas, many did not believe such items existed!

It wasn’t just food that was rationed, petrol, soap, coal, (for heating homes) paper and clothing were also some of the things rationed.

Restaurants were initially not included in rationing, but this was resented, as people with more money could increase their food rations by eating out frequently. Restrictions on restaurants were eventually introduced.

Whether rationed or not, many consumer goods became difficult to obtain. Examples included razor blades, alarm clocks, frying pans and saucepans. Many fathers saved bits of wood to build toys for Christmas presents. Christmas trees were almost impossible to get. 

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