What could be more American than Hershey bars, homemade cookies, and
birthday cake? During World War II these items were hard to come
by. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the start of sugar rationing in the United States.
Short on
Sugar
When the Japanese conquered the Philippines in the
early months of 1942, the United States lost a major source of sugar imports. In
addition, shipments from Hawaii had to be curtailed 50 percent as cargo vessels
were diverted for military purposes. The supply fell by one-third. To ensure
adequate supplies for manufacturers, the military, and civilians, sugar became
the first food item to be rationed. Manufacturers initially received supplies at
80 percent of pre-war levels, but that was reduced over
time.
Registration for
Rationing
On April 27, 1942, families
registered for ration books at their local elementary schools. One book was
issued for each family member and had to be surrendered upon death. The sale of
sugar was halted for one week to prepare for the program. To discourage
hoarding, each family had to report how much sugar they had in stock - over a
certain amount - and the corresponding number of stamps was removed from the
book.
Ration Books
On May 5, 1942, each person in
the United States received a copy of War Ration Book One, good for a 56-week
supply of sugar. Initially, each stamp was good for one pound of sugar and could
be used over a specified two-week period. Later on, as other items such as
coffee and shoes were rationed, each stamp became good for two pounds of sugar
over a four-week period. The ration book bore the recipient's name and could
only be used by household members. Stamps had to be torn off in the presence of
the grocer.
If the book was lost, stolen, or destroyed, an application
had to be submitted to the Ration Board for a new copy. When entering the
hospital for greater than ten days, the ration book had to be brought
along.
Canning
Home canning was encouraged
during the war - however, canning requires sugar. To provide for this patriotic
need, each person could apply for a 25-pound allotment of canning sugar each
year. Each local ration board determined the quantity and season of availability
based on the local harvest. A special canning sugar stamp in the ration book had
to be attached to the application. In 1944, confusion arose when "spare canning
sugar stamp 37" was called for - but many people mistakenly used the regular
sugar stamp 37, invalidating it for normal household purchases.
Shortages
Just
because you had a sugar stamp didn't mean sugar was available for purchase.
Shortages occurred often during the war, and in early 1945 became acute. As
Europe was liberated from Nazi Germany, the US took on the main responsibility
for providing food to those ravaged countries. On May 1, 1945, the sugar ration
was cut to 15 pounds per year for household use and 15 pounds per year for
canning - a total of eight ounces per week. Sugar was the last product to be
rationed after the war. The program was discontinued in June
1947.
Housewives learned to be creative, using saccharine, corn
syrup, and even packets of Jell-O as sugar substitutes. Women's magazines
featured recipes with reduced sugar or creative substitutes.
Do you
have any stories of wartime sugar rationing?Labels: canning, rationing, sugar rationing, World War II
