The Role of Rationing in World War 1

WWI Rations

Questions for Reflection:

How did the implementation of FDA rations during World War I impact the availability and distribution of essential food items?
What were the main objectives and motivations behind the introduction of FDA rations in WWI, and how effective were they in supporting the war effort?
How did FDA rations in WWI affect the daily lives and dietary habits of the American population, and what were some of the challenges faced in adapting to the rationing system?
Reflecting on the social and cultural aspects of FDA rations in WWI, how did they influence notions of patriotism, community support, and personal sacrifice?
What lessons can be learned from the FDA rationing experience in WWI in terms of resource management, government intervention, and public cooperation during times of war or crisis?

Americans during WWI helped win the war by rationing their food and fuel. Public education campaigns encouraged Americans, even young children, do to their part in conservation.

No American was too small to help with the war effort.

This ad was part of the Food Administration's campaign to encourage Americans to replace their meat consumptions with fish, beans, and cheese. - History By Mail

This ad was part of the Food Administration's campaign to encourage Americans to replace their meat consumptions with fish, beans, and cheese.

Coca-Cola is stating their compliance with the WWI food regulations. - History By Mail

This WWI poster was placed on a Clark Street streetcar line in Chicago. Here, Coca-Cola is stating their compliance with the WWI food regulations.

World War I advertisement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages Americans to kill rats. - History By Mail

This WWI advertisement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages Americans to kill rats, which are destroying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of food needed for the war effort.

Apple Brown Betty Recipe

Adapted from the “Sweets Without Sugar” pamphlet distributed by the Federal Food Board of New York in 1918.

Start to finish: Approximately 1 hour
Servings: 10

5 medium apples
1 ¼ cups bread crumbs
4 tablespoons of melted butter or cooking fat
¼ cup hot water
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons dark corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Grease a glass or ceramic baking dish and preheat oven to 350° F.

Pare the apples and cut them into thin slices. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted fat in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the hot water, lemon juice, corn syrup, salt and cinnamon together.

Distribute a third of the bread crumb mixture into the bottom of the greased dish and top with half of the sliced apples and half of the liquid. Repeat with another layer of bread crumbs, apples and liquid and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Replica source: Home Card: What You Can Do to Help Win This War, 1943, National Archives, Records of the U.S. Food Administration, Record Group 4, National Archives Identifier 20762195, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/20762195

"Little American's Promise ...Signed, Address," 1940, National Archives, Records of the U.S. Food Administration, Record Group 4, National Archives Identifier 512684, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/512684

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