Tin of powdered milk, Nura brand, for civilian use and produced by The River Fall Co-operative Creamery Co., Wisconsin, USA, 1939-1945

During the Second World War, many foods were in such short supply in Britain that they had to be rationed. These included sugar, meat, butter, cheese, eggs, milk, tea and chocolate. Powdered foods such as milk and eggs were one way to supplement supplies, they also had a far longer shelf-life than the fresh equivalents.

Tins of such products were among the huge amounts of food and other commodities supplied by the United States during the course of the war. The powdered milk in this example was produced by The River Fall Co-operative Creamery Co., in Wisconsin. It would have been transported by merchant shipping, which had to negotiate the perils of German submarines when crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The control placed on supplies actually saw diets, especially children’s, improve for many as food was shared more equally when rationed, although illegal sources via the ‘black market’ still flourished.