Food and the War! American Wheat to Win!
A dense text poster under a shield-and-wheat seal sets out the Food Administration's wheat-saving rules for households, public eating places and bakeries, under the repeated line 'Wheat is the test!' It states that the Allies depend on American wheat and cites Russia and Italy as cases of collapse and wavering from hunger. The tell is the stakes framing: ordinary saving is presented as the difference between 'triumph or shame'.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Food Administration
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, War and the military
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
U.S. Food Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-137.
Text on the object
Food and the War! American Wheat to Win! "If food fails, we cannot hold out" "Send food and we will win through" Supplying food is America's prime responsibility in the War right now. Food means, first of all, Wheat. The next two months will tell-- WHEAT IS THE TEST! FRANCE, England, Italy and stricken Belgium stake their existence on America's food resources--on her Wheat, above all. Coarse grains to mix in their war bread--corn, oats, rice, and other cereals--they need also. These we are sending--millions of bushels--and can continue to send from our surplus. Of wheat alone there is no surplus--we can send Wheat only as we save it. We must send it. Providing food to maintain the Allies is a national obligation that everyone of us is pledged to redeem. Wheat is the Test. Thus Far We Have Not Saved Enough Month by month--week by week--because of various hindrances, we have sent overseas less than the needed quotas. Week by week--day by day--we have eaten into our reserve stock of wheat. There is no more leeway now. We must save what we send hereafter; we must send henceforth all the Allies need. In our saving or selfishness is bound up success or collapse of the cause. Our saving or selfishness will be our triumph or shame. Wheat is the Test Food will win the War. Food at this season means, first of all, Wheat. Russia crumbled in a food crisis; Italy wavered in dread of hunger. If food supplies fail, no flesh can stand against Germany's war machine. America's food resources alone can save and defend the Allies. Wheat is the Test. Follow Directions Cut the use of Wheat to the limit. Households keep within an allowance of one and one-half pounds of wheat flour per week for each person. Many homes are using none at all. Public eating places keep within an equal allowance for every 21 meals served. Many hotels and restaurants are using no wheat at all. Every purchase of flour to be accompanied by at least equal weight of other cereals. Purchases to be limited in quantity. Bakeries to be limited to 70 per cent. of their previous consumption of wheat. Beyond this--your country asks it--let all save more who can. Save Wheat, Meat, Sugar and Fats! Conserve All Foods! Waste Nothing! WHEAT IS THE TEST! No. 22 U. S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION [illegible printer's mark]
