Food in WW1

How did it start?

How did it

start?

Rationing started when most food had to be sent away to feed soldiers during WW1. The government imposed the new law of rationing in 1918.

The effects of rationing

Food costs were doubled as food now became hard to find. The government had not controlled the price of vegetables, which led to vegetables becoming pricier. Bread, fruits, vegetables and meat became rare, and queues outside shops on the streets became long. Rationing cards were issued and had to be registered by a local butcher or grocer, and had to mention where they had gotten the food from. Moreover, tinned tuna was invented because of rationing.

Did rationing end after WW1?

Did rationing

end after WW1?

Rationing did not end, even after WW1 ended. There was still a shortage of some foods, like butter. Butter remained under the ration policy until 1920.

How did people react to it?

Rationing was not a popular idea among the British people. It seemed rather odd to them. However, food became scarcer as time went on, which gave the British government no choice but to impose the new law of rationing. Rationing made sure everyone had enough to eat. This benefited the poor as they had food to fill their empty stomachs, but the rich got to experience how it was like hungry.

Food Supplies

Food

Supplies

People hoarded goods as soon as war was declared. People were panic buying and food supplies came under pressure. There was an early closure of several food shops as they were quickly emptied, as recorded in a diary entry by Michael Mc Donagh. Britain relied on imported food during 1914. 80% of wheat, 40% of meat and almost all sugar was imported. By 1916, food problems were arrising, yet becoming more concerning. The food prices had increased by 61% between July 1914 and July 1916.

What people ate

during WW1

What people ate

during WW1

What people

ate during WW1

Before and After WW1

Before &

After

WW1

Before

There were no food shortages and life remained the same, though there were wars, there were no major food shortages.

After

Food rationing still continued as there were still shortages of food. They needed time to recover from it.

During WW1

During WW1, it was important to not waste any food you had. Having enough food for a day was considered very fortunate as many poor families did not have enough, though they were fed better due to rationing. However, food did become scarce. The rich did not get to eat the same luxurious meals they had eaten before WW1. Rationing had greatly effected everyone. This idea was not a popular one amongst British people. Moreover, most food had to be given to soldiers, as they work day and night, and require much nutrition to have enough energy to fight.

During

WW1

References

References

https://everydaylivesinwar.herts.ac.uk/2015/01/food/#_edn7

https://www.mylearning.org/stories/ww1-food-shortages-and-rationing/710

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqhyb9q/articles/z8kv34j

https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWtrenchfood.htm#:~:text=The%20bulk%20of%20their%20diet,a%20few%20lumps%20of%20horsemeat.

Links

Accuracy of my sources

Accuracy

of my

sources

For the first website, "Food and the First World War", I believe that the sources are accurate. At the bottom of the website, it states where they had obtained the information from. The sources were from primary sources, for example a diary entry written by Michael MacDonagh, letters and secondary sources like books.

For the second website, "WW1 Food Shortages and Rationing", I believe that the sources may be accurate. The website does not state where it had obtained the information from, however comparing it to other websites, the information is quite similar.

For the third website, "What did people eat during World War One", I believe that the information is likely to be accurate. Throughout the website, it contained photographs of people, rationing cards and posters. Photographs and stuff like these are primary resources, which lead to believe so. However, none of the references were stated in the website, which leads me to think that there could be a chance it may not be accurate. Comparing it to other websites, it does have similar information.

For the last website, "Trench Food", I believe that the information is accurate. At the bottom of website, it states the primary sources used, which most are letters and interviews. Sources like these are primary sources, and comparing the information to other websites, it is very much similar.