Why The US Once Banned Sliced Bread

If you've ever heard the phrase "the best thing since sliced bread," then you probably know how much it meant to people at the time of its invention. These days, we take it for granted; throwing together a sandwich or buttering up some toast are some of the most time-saving meals, and the average American eats a whopping 53 pounds of bread annually. But during World War II, the United States implemented rations that forced manufacturers to cut back on sliced bread — though the ration didn't actually stem from the bread itself.

Since sliced bread exposed all parts of the bread, its wax packaging was thicker (compared to a full bread loaf) in order to better preserve it. By rationing bread, the United States could cut back on wax paper and steel because whole loaves only needed thinner packaging, and bread-slicing machines were taking up steel that could be used for more important machines. However, to people at home, the rations were getting out of hand — and sliced bread was sorely missed to the point where the ban didn't last long.

Americans have Wonder Bread to thank for the sliced bread boom; it was among the first widely-distributed basic sliced white bread, hitting store shelves in the 1930s. It took no time for Americans to adapt to the convenience, so when it was banned a dozen years later, the backlash was monumental.

The ban took a turn pretty quickly. With women still handling the household while simultaneously going to work, it was soon realized that sliced bread saved a ton of meal prep time. Women even wrote in to newspapers in an effort to illustrate how much sliced bread meant to them. Plus, many bakeries owned their own slicing machines, which meant not using them wouldn't save on steel. However, the bread market suffered because those with slicing machines became far more popular than those without, which caused an imbalance.

The ban went into effect in mid-January 1943, but by early March, it was reversed. Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard had announced the ban and had later been the one to overturn it. While it's widely believed that the outrage from housewives led to the reversal, Wickard and the government said it was due to less wax and steel savings than expected.