Personal Points, Lend-Lease, and SPAM

The advent of World War II required a whole-of-society approach dedicated to the war effort, which had not before been witnessed in human history. In order to supply the military, home fronts around the globe needed to save, scrimp and sacrifice to fulfill the demands of the war machine. This was particularly true when it came to preserving and maintaining food levels in domestic settings. During the conflict, many countries created and enforced a system of food rationing to try to ensure that their home front population was adequately fed, while at the same time drawing from the same resources to feed hungry soldiers. Britain was one of the countries to set up a comprehensive system of rationing, encompassing adults and children into a tiered structure of food distribution and consumption. (For detailed information about the UK system of controls see Fork Flashes Blog – “British Food Rationing in World War II”.)

The supply levels were such that many of the goods, such as sugar, meat, and butter, could be evenly distributed, making it possible for everyone in the country to get the same amount and type of food in accordance with the category of rationing to which they were assigned e.g. adults, pregnant and nursing mothers, children under five, and children ages 5-16. However, other goods, such as dried and canned foods were not in abundant enough quantities to make it feasible for the government to be able to evenly distribute them across the rationing spectrum. They were also not in large enough amounts to be easily obtainable by everyone. In light of the fluctuating nature of these goods, the British government created an in-between measure in 1941, whereby such goods that could not be distributed evenly came under a system of semi-control. Known as the “personal points” system, individuals were given 24 points per month to spend on goods that were put on points in the shop. The number of points assigned to each food in the system rose and fell according to stocks and demand. Consumers were free to apply their points in any way that they wished and in accordance with what was available on shop shelves under the system. It should be noted that although the points for a certain product was set per week, some goods might have been unavailable during that week, again due to supply levels. Customers then had to carefully organize and calculate what to get and when to get it in order to supplement the food that they obtained on the basic ration, and any other food that they obtained by other means such as from allotment or unrationed food, including fruit and vegetables. The British government published weekly circulars to advertise how many points each good was assigned, and families, primarily busy housewives, examined the paper and planned their shopping trips accordingly.

The British rationing system, and more specifically, the “personal points” subset of the system was supported by the introduction of American foods through the Lend-Lease Program. While Britain entered World War II in 1939, the United States remained officially neutral until December 8th, 1941, when Congress declared war on the Axis countries following the Japanese’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawai’i. However, despite its neutral stance, the U.S. provided aid to the UK., first by offering goods on a cash basis through the Cash and Carry program, then trading destroyers for rent of British bases under the Destroyers for Bases deal. But in December 1940, in one of his famous Fireside Chats on the radio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced a program of assistance for the Allies fighting the war. His speech laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Lend-Lease Act through which the U.S. government agreed to provide the Allied forces and home fronts with all necessary materials to support their war efforts, which included not only military hardware, but also vitally important food supplies. The terms of repayment were to be settled after the war, so that the countries were not charged any money during the conflict. The bill was quickly introduced into Congress, debated in both houses, and swiftly passed with bi-partisan support in March 1941. Roosevelt signed it into law on March 11th, 1941.

Britain was the first country to receive food and other supplies through the Lend-Lease Agreement in the spring of 1941. Food shipments from the U.S. quickly became an integral part of the UK’s food rationing system, many of these goods going on to the personal points system. Of particular note were foods that were prized for their long-lasting and shelf-stable nature, which could survive long sea voyages, including dried egg and dried milk. SPAM, easily the most well-known wartime American food in Britain, became a ubiquitous food throughout the country, adding a valuable protein to a meat-starved, British diet.

Distribution of orange juice from America to British mothers for their children.

SPAM, a canned, processed pork product was invented in 1937 by the Hormel Foods in Austin, Minnesota. While SPAM was nationally recognized due to well-organized marketing campaigns by company executives, it was not until WWII when the food really came into its own and became recognized world-wide and has remained so ever since. (For more information about SPAM’s history and longevity, see the Fork Flashed Blog – “SPAM”) In Britain, SPAM became a daily way of life at home and dining out. SPAM could be found in many dishes, including sandwiches, soups, salads, and many other wartime concoctions to stretch food and add valuable calories to the British diet. Despite its utility and importance to the wartime home front, reception of the food was mixed. Some people loved it not only for its important caloric contribution, but also because it represented all things American. Others grew tired of the onslaught of so much processed pork, and they longed for their pre-war helping of meat. Still others ate it because it was available and found it sufficient, if not entirely appealing or satisfying. The canned good did, like the other American products imported through the Lend-Lease Program, see the British home front through to the end of the war. But war’s end brought a halt to the proceedings. However, while the Lend-Lease Program ended in August of 1945, SPAM continues to be sold in British supermarkets today.

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