It was actually significantly less about food to feed the soldiers, as it was food to feed the other Allies, and about preparing to potentially feed all of mainland Europe once the Nazis were defeated. The Americas were needing to produce not just enough food to feed their own populations, but to feed allied populations facing food shortages or even famine. The UK and the USSR received large shipments of American food whenever possible through the Lend Lease Act, as a good deal of the USSR was facing full blown starvation, and British agriculture was pushed to maximum productivity. The UK was also responsible for feeding the British Empire, something they desperately needed assistance with. Rationing of food in the US was also actually fairly limited, it wasn’t nearly as extreme as in the UK, particularly in terms of meat and sugar. Rationing was also about keeping the population healthy and “fighting for” it was about combating malnutrition and nutritional deficits, and about helping the population recover from the depression. The US was producing a huge proportion of the world’s meat and wheat, two of the most vital weapons of the food war. Shipping was challenged by German U-boats, so the control over the county’s food was absolutely vital, the government needed to know what food was being produced, and what was being consumed and rationing helped them keep track of all the food. After the invasions of Sicily, and Normandy in particular, the Allies were needing to feed Europe’s civilian populations because agriculture and the food industry were in a dire position. This only intensified the need to correctly allocate American food sources, part of making sure food was allocated well ease rationing, and encouraging things like victory gardens and frugal cooking.

“Taste of War” by Lizzie Collingham (I seriously cannot recommend this book enough)