Don't Hoard Food, vintage poster image courtesy of public domain |
This is a very interesting poster image...it dates from WW1. As with most of these wartime posters, they are about conserving. This one comes from the Canadian Food Board. As food was in short supply and needed for soldiers, hoarding it, stocking up on it, was not allowed. In this poster, they have bags of flour and sugar while a policeman or perhaps government official is just outside the window. Notice the sign on the wall above them... $100-$1000 fine and/or 3 months in prison. Yikes! Kymber? Are you obeying? LOL!
Funny that now those of us that prep (or prepare) for whatever contingency, do the equivalent of what they would call 'food hoarding'. Today hoarding brings up a completely different image than just having a lot of food saved up.
Hope you are having a great weekend, we're feeling a bit better and the sun is finally out today. We'll see what we get done.
It's true that we do seem to 'hoard' food now in preparation for bad weather or emergencies...and around the world there are people starving to death while we smile smugly and feel 'prepared'.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a very valid point. Kind of makes one realize how blessed we are and we need to remember to try to help those less fortunate when we can.
DeleteHoarding food has been a practice of a lifetime for me. Depression Era parents taught us not to waste and when we have plenty we save it.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting poster.
It is interesting huh? It was kind of "in your face" so to speak. You know, my Grandfather's stories of the depression really hit home with me, more recently, when I was a kid it all seemed so foreign but as an adult, I really started thinking about it.
DeleteI found this back-story on a UK history site (see how you’re improving my mind!). The main exporters to Britain were America and Canada. The Germans’ submarine warfare, with great losses of ships in the Atlantic, had a drastic impact on Britain's food supply and food had to be rationed so that no one starved in Britain.
ReplyDeleteGlad y’all are feeling a bit better. The sun is just starting to peek out here - yeah! Everything’s better with sunshine!
Wow, that's fascinating! Thanks for the info. :-)
DeleteYep, more sunshine today though still a bit chilly. We are better but not fully recovered.
I find it "odd" that the government wouldn't want it's citizens to stock up on food. I'm not religious, but even the bible implores one to save food. My mother drilled it into my head from day one that you always have plenty of food on hand---just in case. The world could collapse, but we always had plenty of food on hand.
ReplyDeleteThat IS interesting huh? Today our government does tell us to be prepared and stock up etc. But you have to wonder if there would ever be a time when we couldn't do that. With today's society, probably not. But I'm with you, my Grandparents always told us to have extras of everything on hand.
DeleteTo me "Hoarding" is different from "prepared' when it comes to anything. Hoarding flour would mean that a person had a ton saved. Having 200 lbs would be prepared. The way things are now it seems that even a modest amount, just a few pounds might be illegal.
ReplyDeleteI do know that during WWII the policy was in effect here that said the government could take anything, tractors, machinery, anything needed for the war effort. Yet, I have no evidence the government took anything. However, I think the effort now to take from citizens would be very aggressive and self-serving, going beyond government use.
I often wonder exactly how much a person could keep--two weeks' worth of food, a month, six months? if food is in such a dire situation that we need to take from others, then how will any of us survive. If machinery is taken, how will the producers recover and beging to produce again. Food shortages in UK did not end with the end of the war.
I love the way the bags are labeled "Hoarded Flour" and "Hoarded Sugar."
You are very wise. Those two in that poster would be considered maybe "preppers" today (though I hate that word, it seems so negative, when being prepared is actually a good thing). You're right, to me, 'hoarding' means you just have way too much of something.
DeleteYes, I noticed the hoarded flour/sugar labels, too funny. They sure wanted to scare people didn't they?
Texas Rose above is correct. and that poster is pretty funny, 1st Man! what i find really interesting is that the poster looks british to me....and that police officer in the window is definitely a bobby and not an RCMP officer, which if it were canadian it would have been and RCMP officer. so i am gonna do more research on the "canada food board" and will not be surprised if it turns out to be british. britain heavily relied on food from canada and america...so they had the most benefit to telling people not to hoard food.
ReplyDeleteas for my hoarding food...(looks around to make sure the canada food board is not looking) - oh heck ya!!!!
much love to you and 2nd Man! your friend,
kymber
hmmm...so the canada food board did exist!!! here's a link about it that you might find interesting:
Deletehttp://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-home-during-the-war/the-war-economy/farming-and-food/
Hoarders, preppers, aren't we all doing the same thing? LOL! Wow, that's some great info you found, thanks for that. There's even some new poster images there too. Thanks!
DeleteMuch love to you both always!!
That's an interesting poster! You know, they'd probably have a better chance of getting away with it if only they would stop buying products that say "hoarded" right on the bag. ;)
ReplyDelete(Joke!)