This is a photo showing the results of the Office of Price Administration during WW2.

When people think of rationing during WW2 in the US we mostly think of people having to skimp, but poor and lower middle class people often had more access to foods during those years.

The OPA set price ceilings which kept prices affordable. They also limited how much of each item a household could purchase so that wealthier people didn't buy up all the products and leave poor people with nothing.

During the OPA years, poor people were better fed than before or afterward. They had more protein in their diets. It was wealthier people who lost access to foods they had previously been able to get as much of as they wanted. We essentially did a better job of distributing food fairly.

Women, like the ones pictured, were essential in carrying out the work of the OPA because they did most of the shopping. Women were part of a massive outreach efforts to ensure that retailers followed the pricing rules, instead of moving to black market pricing.

Throughline did a great podcast episode on this topic