"Food is a Weapon"

Office of War Information poster, no. 58. 1943. WWII

Paralleling the federal government's program of increased production of food was their program to curtail waste. Families were encouraged to eat their leftovers and "lick their plate clean."

President Roosevelt in a message to Congress on October 31, 1943, stated that "Food is as important as any other weapon in the successful prosecution of the war. It will be equally important in rehabilitation and relief in the liberated areas, and in shaping the peace that is to come." Roosevelt passed away on April 12, 1945