FOOD WILL WIN THE WAR!
August 10, 2017, marks the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the Lever Food and Fuel Control Act, creating the U.S. Food Administration during World War I.
On August 10, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Lever Food Act and issued subsequent Executive Order 2679-A creating the U.S. Food Administration, U.S. Fuel Administration, and named Herbert Hoover the director of the Food Administration.
The U. S. Food Administration, operating in each state, was to
Assure the supply, distribution, and conservation of food during the war,
Facilitate transportation of food and prevent monopolies and hoarding, and
Maintain governmental power over foods by using voluntary agreements and a licensing system.
Using the same authority, Wilson created two subsidiaries, the U.S. Grain Corporation and the U.S. Sugar Equalization Board. Together with the U.S. Food Administration, these bodies would extraordinarily impact American lives.
Under Hoover's direction, the Food Administration, in league with the Council of Defense, urged all homeowners to sign pledge cards that testified to their efforts to conserve food. The government issued the appeal on a Friday. By the following week, Americans had embraced wheatless Mondays, meatless Tuesdays, and porkless Saturdays to assist the troops overseas.
The National Archives, including the National Archives at Riverside, holds the Records of the U.S. Food Administration (RG 4). Many of the materials are described in our online catalog, and include digitized materials such as the posters above. Please visit the catalog for a list of records from RG 4.