Britain urging return to wartime food frugality

[unapatriciated]

Families urged to cut food waste to combat rising global prices

updated 6:46 p.m. ET, Fri., July. 11, 2008
LONDON - Waste not, want not.

Evoking an era of World War II austerity, British families are being urged to cut food waste and use leftovers in a nationwide effort to fight sharply rising global food prices.

It's not back to ration books, "victory gardens" or squirrel-tail soup yet, but warning bells are being rung by experts at all levels of Britain's government as well as from the World Food Program.

With food and energy prices soaring around the world, a constant supply of high-quality, affordable food is no longer guaranteed, the officials are warning Britons. That could mean an era of scarcity like Britain's 1940-54 food rationing, during the war and its aftermath.

Food staples up 83 percent
The experts say the postwar era of cheap food has ended — squeezed by the demands of a growing world population, a greater appetite for meat among emerging middle classes in China and India and the pressure on agricultural land from biofuel production.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25642713/

[Warpy]

1. Wartime food austerity? Good luck with that.

My dad was over in 1940 as a civilian engineer with the RAF. With shipping disrupted, they were living on good British food like cabbage and potatoes three times a day.

A German pilot missed his target and bombed a field of Brussels sprouts instead.

My dad said the local papers wanted him found and given the Victoria Cross.

I sincerely doubt people are going to stand for eating that shite because a bunch of hedge fund speculators are driving up the price of oil.

[madrchsod]

2. "eat your food -there`s kids in china that have nothing to eat"

yes i heard that when i was a kid in the 50`s.......

[dipsydoodle]

3. If we do

then at least it help put and end to the annoyance of all the fucking packaging we buy most of which uses oil in its production.

Bring back easily degradable paper bags say.......lol.

I hope we don't lose Coca Cola - I need that for cleaning dirty metal parts.

[unapatriciated]

4. ewww killer coke...

http://www.killercoke.org/crimes.htm

sorry I wouldn't miss them, try a little baking soda
http://www.thegreenguide.com/docprint.mhtml?i=120&s=diy

[dipsydoodle]

8. Better link here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5JXmDApzp4 and its entertaining too.

That's part 1 of 5 and the other 4 parts are there too. One of them has the issues of the union worker shot in Colombia.

I use Coke for 100 old nickel plated banjo parts to get the dirt off prior to polishing. I don't soak for too long cos it strips the nickel...lol. I've tried alternatives but they are not as effective and its difficult to judge the strength to use with other materials. :hi:

[unapatriciated]

9. thanks, had seen some of this before

have been aware and against coke since middle 90's, haven't bought a coke product since 2003 and damn there are a lot of them. I can go to the movies more often cause it saves me money at the snack bar.
Sorry to dis your cleaner, I guess if you have to use it that's better than drinking it.
Have you tried Pepsi? :hi:

[Speciesamused]

10. You are a great asset to the D.U.

always a great response with information
to pass on. Let us hope someday we will regain
power over ourselves. If you have a youtube
channel I would like to sub. Peace and Prosperity
:yourock:

[Tesha]

11. You can just buy the phosphoric acid directly -- that's the "active ingredient" in Coke-branded...

...metal cleaner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid

Tesha

[dipsydoodle]

12. Yes but

Coca Cola seems to have just the right level :rofl:

Your input is however much appreciated.:hi:

[LBJDemocrat]

5. Good idea

On my part, I don't know if I can conserve anymore without fasting. I go to bed hungry almost every night.

[annabanana]

6. At least they know HOW to do that. They can still corner Granny

and get tips on how to survive on very little. There was privation in the US during WWII of course, but nothing on the scale of that suffered in England.

[charlie]

7. They're eating mudpies in Haiti

And for a final indignity heaped on horror, they're paying for the mud. $5 will make about 100 "biscuits".

AAAND... the price of mud has risen 40% in a year. Mud!!!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,547198,00.html

[Tindalos]

13. My Grandma told me some of the "food" they ate back then.

How about a lovely slice of cake made without milk, flour, eggs, or sugar? I was too afraid to ask what was in it.

Seriously though, rising food prices are already forcing people to rethink their eating habits. Cutting back is a necessity for many people these days.