VE/VJ Don't Waste Bread

Crumbs! Victory celebrations give way to postwar austerity as shortages leave countries short of dough in more ways than one

The low-carb option proved a necessity rather than a diet trend after WWII. This 'food flash' - a short government-sponsored message interspersed in the cinema programme - was an early sign of ongoing shortages in the postwar period. The introduction of rationing for bread on 21 July 1946 was a bitter pill to swallow, since it was one of the few commodities that escaped rationing even during the height of war. The ration was lifted in 1948.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.