Food control in the United Kingdom

              Quote No. T. 6 
Date: 15. 1. 48
Issued by Reference Division, Central Office of Information, London, W.1.
FOOD CONTROL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 
Principles of Government Policy
Britain's system of food control and rationing, so outstandingly successful during the war years in maintaining nutrition and productive effort, will be continued as long as shortages persist. The Ministry of Food continues as a permanent Department and the Government accepts the responsibility for ensuring that adequate supplies of food necessary to health are available to all members of the public at reasonable prices and for raising the standard of the nation's nutrition. The interest of the consumer is protected; provision is made for the needs of special classes; the position of the home producer is safeguarded; and the trader who renders the community a necessary service receives a fair reward.
Bulk purchase is an integral part of the system for procuring and distributing foodstuffs in a time of world shortage. It enables Britain to use the long-term contract which is the best instrument available for increasing the amount of food to be found and bought. Prices of the majority of foodstuffs are controlled by Maximum Price Orders. Those of the main foodstuffs are kept down by Government subsidies, which began in December 1939. The real cost of the subsidisation of food prices in the year 1947/8 is estimated at £392 million.
Rationing of Important Foods
Food rationing was introduced in January 1940, for butter, bacon and sugar, and has been extended to nearly all important foods. Bacon and ham, bread, cheese, fats, jam and other preserves, meat, sugar, sweets and chocolate and tea are individually rationed on a weekly or monthly basis. Bread, flour and cakes are rationed as a whole, by a scheme introduced July 21, 1946. A more flexible system to cover a wide range of other foods is provided by the "points" scheme. Each consumer has a monthly allowance of points which must be surrendered for foods included in the scheme. Points and values in addition to the foods themselves are varied periodically according to supply and demand. Other foods in irregular supply or subject to seasonal fluctuations, e.g., mi[ ] eggs, oranges and potatoes, are controlled through distribution schemes.
Welfare Foods Service and Special Allowances
The Welfare Foods Service, which in July 1946 became associated with the Family Allowances Scheme, provides certain specified foods at subsidised rates for expectant mothers, children and adolescents. The foods are:- milk, at 1 1/2d per pint (below one-third ordinary price) to expectant mothers, children under 5, and handicapped children aged 5-16 unable to attend school; national dried milk to children under 2 as an alternative to liquid milk; orange juice, to expectant mothers and children under 5; cod liver oil, free to expectant mothers and children under 5; Vitamin A and D tablets, free to expectant mothers as an alternative to cod liver oil and also to mothers of babies under 30 weeks; national milk cocoa to young persons under 21 who are employed workers, students, or members of youth organisations. Milk and orange juice are supplied free to those unable to pay.
Schoolchildren receive one-third pint of milk free daily in school under the Education Act, 1944 and the provision of meals in schools is being extended at a rapid rate. (In June 1947 the number of meals supplied to school children on a normal day was 2,347,000). Other special allowances to individuals include:
Expectant Mothers: