ABSTRACT
Food policy in Britain during the Second World War, characterized by extensive rationing and fair shares, is generally considered a great success which helped to maintain civilian health and morale in a peoples' war. This chapter highlights the shortcomings of food policy during the war. The British flat-rate rationing system made insufficient allowances for differential needs and food shortages hit some social groups harder than others. Discontent about flat-rate rations was high among male manual workers, food policy demanded a disproportionate sacrifice from women and the wealthier social groups had greater opportunities to augment their diet with unrationed foods. The chapter further draws attention to the gap between policy, propaganda and public response. In order to understand the significance of wartime food policy in the history of British diet it is necessary to look beyond averages.
