As soon as he was appointed, the food administrator issued a
statement containing the following facts:

Whereas we exported before the war but 80,000,000 bushels of wheat
per annum, this year we must find for all our allies 225,000,000
bushels, and this in the face of a short crop. ... France and
Italy formerly produced their own sugar, while England and Ireland
imported largely from Germany. Owing to the inability of the
first-named to produce more than one third of their needs, and the
necessity for the others to import from other markets, they must
all come to the West Indies for their very large supplies, and
therefore deplete our resources.

If we can reduce our consumption of wheat flour by 1 pound, our
meat by 7 ounces, our sugar by 7 ounces, our fat by 7 ounces PER
PERSON PER WEEK, these quantities, multiplied by 100,000,000 (the
population of the United States) will immeasurably aid and
encourage our allies, help our own growing armies, and so
effectively serve the great and noble cause of humanity in which
our nation has embarked.

DEMOCRACY A PARTNERSHIP

This illustrates how the Food Administration sought cooperation.
It "made partners" of the people, explained to them the situation,
and asked them to help as individuals. It showed the nation what
it must do if it were to be successful in its undertaking. It is
true that the President had large powers to enforce observance of
the rules outlined by the Food Administration, but it was only in
the exceptional case of the individual consumer and producer who