{"id":1152,"date":"2022-12-04T17:50:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-04T22:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/americanhistory\/?post_type=project&p=1152"},"modified":"2022-12-04T17:56:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-04T22:56:46","slug":"food-dont-waste-it","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/americanhistory\/project\/food-dont-waste-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Food\u2014Don\u2019t Waste It"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In 1917, artist Frederic G. Cooper created the poster above to promote the conservation of food for the American public. Until then, the United States had maintained a neutral position in World War I and provided the Allied forces with supplies to sustain themselves throughout the war.[1]<\/a> According to Almon R. Wright in his article \u201cFood Purchases of the Allies, 1917-1918,\u201d the Allied forces in Western Europe \u201ccould count upon only 60 percent of their normal wheat production\u201d and they consequently \u201cturned attention to the sources of supply overseas\u201d to aid in the hunger crisis they experienced.[2]<\/a> However, Germany essentially forced the United States to become an active participant by sinking American ships carrying cargo for the Allied Powers.[3]<\/a> On August 10, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Food and Fuel Control Act.<\/a>[4]<\/a> In the article \u201cThe Food Administration: Educator,\u201d author Maxcy R. Dickson explains how the act \u201cdeclared that national security and defense made it necessary for the Government to establish control over the supply, distribution, and movement of food, feeds, fuel\u2026and equipment required.\u201d[5]<\/a> Around the same time the Food Control Act was enacted, Congress provided funds for the U.S. Food Administration to oversee the distribution of goods to Western European and American soldiers alike.[6]<\/a> In the article \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18,\u201d author Rae Katherine Eighmey quotes President Wilson as he urges \u201call Americans to become citizen soldiers\u201d by conserving the food they consume to ensure that the Allied forces have adequate rations.[7]<\/a> In turn, Wilson explains how a lack of \u201cabundant food\u201d would result in \u201cthe whole great enterprise upon which we have embarked will break down and fall;\u201d essentially, food for the soldiers is the key to securing a win against the Central Powers.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

The creation of posters like Cooper\u2019s resulted from the formation of the U.S. Food Administration and its 48 respectful divisions.[9]<\/a> Of these, the Educational Division and its chief Ben S. Allen were responsible for making the country \u201cstomach conscious\u201d by informing Americans how they can consume food consciously and consequently aid in the war effort.[10]<\/a> The main route the U.S. Food Administration took in completing this goal was the publication of \u201csimple brochures and colorful posters<\/a> with information and persuasive messages.\u201d[11]<\/a> Allen understood that the kitchen was \u201cthe first line of defense\u201d in completing their goal and thus manufactured various posters in \u201cwomen\u2019s magazines and the women\u2019s pages of the daily press.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

In Frederic Cooper\u2019s specific poster, the list of rules displayed has specific motives behind them that factor into the primary goal of providing troops overseas with proper supplies. For the first and fourth items on the list expressing the need to purchase food thoughtfully and locally, they were essential in ensuring that there was not an \u201cunnecessary transportation of goods\u201d since most means of transportation were utilized to ship supplies to soldiers.[13]<\/a> By having citizens buy food locally, transportation could be reserved for war efforts and shipments could arrive at the frontlines in a timely manner. The second, fifth, and sixth items on the list coincide with one another because they focus on planning meals with conservation in mind to guarantee that homemakers \u201cserve only what families would eat and save any leftovers for soups or hash on another day.\u201d[14]<\/a> By preventing food waste through careful prepping and storage, the conservation within \u201cevery household would make a difference\u201d for the Allied forces.[15]<\/a> Most importantly, the third item on the list advises the usage of fewer meat and wheat products because these items provided soldiers with adequate nutrition, which is further emphasized by their longer shelf life.[16]<\/a> Since wheat and meat were vital for the troops, Americans were urged to pursue other means of incorporating grains and proteins into their diet through rice and beans.[17]<\/a><\/p>\n

While the incorporation of such propaganda posters in magazines and newspapers seems like a small step to achieve the goal of conservation, its efforts proved victorious in the eventual success of World War I by the Allied Powers. For Great Britain in particular, they purchased 56 million pounds of frozen beef products in July 1918, which was twice as much as \u201call the airplane engines and parts purchased that month.\u201d[18]<\/a> Without the food supply, \u201call the chemicals, explosives, and metals in the world would have availed to nothing\u201d if soldiers were not adequately fed and taken care of to fulfill their duties.[19]<\/a> Overall, the conservation of food in American kitchens \u201cfed the United States armies, bolstered the Allies, and made victory possible\u201d amidst a food crisis that otherwise would have diminished morale and dragged Europe into anarchy.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 273.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Wright, Almon R, \u201cFood Purchases of the Allies, 1917-1918.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 97.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 273.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Dickson, Maxcy R, \u201cThe Food Administration: Educator.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 91.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 279.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid, 272.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Dickson, Maxcy R, \u201cThe Food Administration: Educator.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 92.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 274.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Dickson, Maxcy R, \u201cThe Food Administration: Educator.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 93.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 278.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Ibid, 274.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Wright, Almon R, \u201cFood Purchases of the Allies, 1917-1918.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 98.<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Eighmey, Rae Katherine, \u201c\u2018Food Will Win the War:\u2019 Minnesota Conservation Efforts, 1917-18.\u201d In Minnesota History<\/em> vol. 59, no. 7. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2005, 276.<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> Wright, Almon R, \u201cFood Purchases of the Allies, 1917-1918.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 101.<\/p>\n

[19]<\/a> Ibid, 102.<\/p>\n

[20]<\/a> Dickson, Maxcy R, \u201cThe Food Administration: Educator.\u201d In Agricultural History<\/em> vol. 16, no. 2. Washington DC: Agricultural History Society, 1942, 95.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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