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cured certain diseases: for instance, a lack of vitamin B caused beriberi , and a deficiency of vitamin C resulted in scurvy . In 1938, Congress passed the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which required all artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives to be listed on every product label. The law also included food standards “to promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers.” World War II, however, delayed the government from setting national standards.

Q: What’s the backstory on food rationing in the United States?

A: The US government established rationing of certain foods in 1942, and it continued until World War II ended in 1945. Each person was issued a certain number of “ration points,” which had to be used along with money to buy food. Sugar was the first food to be rationed, followed by coffee, meat, butter and cooking oils, canned fish, cheese, and canned milk. People were urged to plant “victory gardens” to grow their own vegetables. Some problems that arose were food hoarding, shortages of certain items, and a black market where people could buy anything they didn’t have ration points for.

The 1940s: Standards for Enriched Flour Flour enrichment started in the 1930s as white flour became popular. It was made by processing whole wheat flour to remove the bran and the germ —elements that provide all of flour’s vitamins and minerals. Before long, people who ate foods made with white flour began to suffer from pellagra and beriberi caused by nutritional deficiencies. In 1940, hearings were held on these

Chapter 1: The Roller Coaster History of Food Labeling in the United States

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