Hunger

How food shaped the course of the First World War

Authors

  • Laurie Wadsworth St. Francis Xavier Univeristy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v10i1.579

Keywords:

history, food supply chain, food insecurity, World War I

Abstract

Blom’s thesis for the book involved the impact food supply had on the outcome of WWI. Information presented focused on food security of civilians and armed forces across nations. Detailed coverage of food production, distribution, storage and consumption is a strength of the book. Blom gathered specifics from primary sources including journals, armed forces reports and orders, and interviews with surviving soldiers. Of particular interest are the experiential learnings of the author when he participated in preparing meals in a rebuilt field kitchen, spent time in a restored trench, and sampled a restaurant meal similar to those available during the war. These experiences lent a personal touch to some of the listing of details found throughout the book. Readers will find of interest the many examples of the intersections between food supply chain disruptions and armed conflict situations that can be applied to current and past wars.

Author Biography

Laurie Wadsworth, St. Francis Xavier Univeristy

Dr. Laurie A. Wadsworth is a Seniior Research Professor with the Department of Human Nutrition at St. Francis Xavier University. She has extensive community nutrition experience, having worked in Saskatchewan for 12 years as Public Health Nutritionist, Provincial Nutritionist, and Health Promotion Consultant. Laurie’s educational background consists of a BScHEc in dietetics and nutrition (University of Saskatchewan), an MSc in community nutrition (University of Manitoba), and a PhD combining community nutrition and media studies (University of Saskatchewan). She was a member of the Trans Fat Task Force for Canada, is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of Dietitians of Canada, a Fellow of Dietitians of Canada and was the 2019 recipient of the Ryley-Jeffs Memorial Lecture Award. Her current research interests examine Historical roots of the present dietetics profession, through study of Victorian origins of nursing and dietetics. Other research interests involve food and nutrition images in mass media, dietary intake patterns of youth in Nova Scotia, and the meaning of food with dietetics professionals.

 

a mosaic of human figures of various colours

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Published

2023-03-13

How to Cite

Wadsworth, L. (2023). Hunger: How food shaped the course of the First World War. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 10(1), 151–153. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v10i1.579

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2023): Confronting Anti-Black, Anti-Indigenous, and Anti-Asian Racisms in Food Systems in Canada

Section

Book/Art/Event Reviews

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Laurie Wadsworth

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