What was the last commodity to be taken off rationing on 3 July 1954?

Answer 1

Meat was the last item to be taken off ration.

Answer 2

I was sure it wasn't bananas, (when they first came into the greengrocers you could only buy them if you had a blue ration book), but meat was rationed right till the end of rationing. Was it really as late as 1954? That was only 4 years before I got married in August 1959; things were still "rationed" in a way because the prices were so high - chicken was 4s. 6d. a pound, while minced beef was 1s. 8d.; butter was also 4s. 6d., so we only had Stork margarine. Quite a large chunk out of my £3 a week housekeeping (60 shillings).
Sugar was odd, it came off ration, then there was so much demand for it, that it went back on ration. This included sweets because we all flocked to the sweet shops having been limited for such a long time.

Answer 3

Timeline of rationing
At around 1916 in the First World War, Germany started using its U-boats (submarines) in order to sink the ships - many of which were American - that were bringing food to the country and starve Britain into surrender. In about two years, Britain had just six weeks food left and, therefore, had to ration its food supplies.

On January 8, 1940, bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. This was followed by meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, milk and canned fruit. One of the few foods not rationed were fish and chips. Strict rationing caused many people to buy food on the black market; however people were often tricked with cheaper substitutes such as horsemeat instead of beef.[citation needed]

As the war progressed, most kinds of food came to be rationed, as were clothing and petrol. Clothing was rationed on a points system. Initially the allowance was for approximately one new outfit per year; as the war progressed the points were reduced to the point where the purchase of a coat constituted almost an entire year's clothing.

Rationing continued after the end of the war. In fact, it became stricter after the end of the war than it had been during it. Bread, which was not rationed during the war, was rationed beginning in 1946. This was largely due to the necessity of feeding the population of European areas coming under Allied control, whose economies had been devastated by the fighting. Sweet rationing ended in February 1953, and sugar rationing ended in September of that year. The final end of all rationing did not come until 1954 with bananas. Some of the ersatz foods like apple crumble and carrot cake continue to be popular today.

Answer 4

Well I've still got my last ration book from the Ministry of Food for the year 1953-1954
This ran from17 May 1953 to 15 May 1954
In this book the items that were rationed were Sugar,Bacon,Cheese,Fats,Eggs,Meat and Tea
No fruit or Vegetables.

Answer 5

Banana's were one of the last thing to be taking off rationing in 1954. Sweet rationing ended in February 1953, and sugar rationing ended in September 1953. At midnight on the 3th July 1954, fourteen years of food rationing in Britain ended when restrictions on the sale and purchase of meat and bacon were lifted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_3818000/3818563.stm

Answer 6

Banana's were never rationed! But although I was a victim of the rationing it was probably sweets and soap, it may even have been bread, any way I would like to be reminded, thanks for the question, again I categorical state, after reading the above that banana's never reached west midlands so how could they have been rationed

Answer 7

Bananas were the last item to be taken off the rationing list. Here is a timeline.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Sweets