The First WorldWar andWorking-Class Food Consumption in Britain

Ian Gazeley and Andrew Newell

Working Paper Series from Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School

Abstract: This paper reassesses the food consumption and dietary impact of the regimes of food and food price control and eventually, food rationing, that were introduced in Britain during the First World War. At the end of the War the Sumner Committee was convened to investigate the effects of these controls on the diets of working class families. With the help of some of the original returns of an earlier 1904 survey, we are able to reassess the Sumner Committee findings. We find that, although calories intakes did not fall for households headed by unskilled workers, there were substantial falls for skilled workers’ households. We also find that the price controls were particularly effective in changing the pattern of food spending. In particular, because the prices of many fruits and vegetables were allowed to rise much more than other foods, there were large falls in the intakes of nutrients most associated with these foods, to average levels well below today’s recommended intakes.

Keywords: First World War; Britain; food controls; food consumption; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N34 N44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-his
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http://www.sussex.ac.uk/economics/documents/wps14-2010-gazeleynewell/pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The First World War and working-class food consumption in Britain (2013)
Working Paper: The First World War and Working-Class Food Consumption in Britain (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sus:susewp:1410

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