Minister of Food

The Minister of Food Control (1916–1921) and the Minister of Food (1939–1954) were British government ministerial posts separated from that of the Minister of Agriculture. A major task of the latter office was to oversee rationing in the United Kingdom arising out of World War II. The Minister was assisted by a Parliamentary Secretary.

The ministry's work was transferred in 1921 to the Board of Trade which had a small Food Department between the wars. This became its Food (Defence Plans) Department in 1937 and was then constituted as the Ministry of Food on the outbreak of war in 1939.

Jamie's Ministry of Food was a 2008 UK TV programme featuring celebrity chef Jamie Oliver that aimed to recreate the successes of the Ministry of Food in encouraging healthy eating.

Minister of Food Control 1916-1921

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party
	The Lord Devonport		10 December 1916	19 June 1917	Liberal
	The Lord Rhondda		19 June 1917	9 July 1918	Liberal
	John Robert Clynes		9 July 1918	10 January 1919	Labour
	George Roberts		10 January 1919	19 March 1920	Labour
	Charles McCurdy		19 March 1920	31 March 1921	Liberal

Minister of Food 1939-1958

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party
	Rt Hon W S Morrison (later Lord Dunrossil)		4 September 1939	3 April 1940	Conservative
	Rt Hon Baron Woolton		3 April 1940	11 November 1943	Independent
	Colonel the Rt Hon J J Llewellin (later Lord Llewellin)		11 November 1943	26 July 1945	Conservative
	Sir Ben Smith		3 August 1945	26 May 1946	Labour
	Rt Hon John Strachey		27 May 1946	28 February 1950	Labour
	Rt Hon Maurice Webb		28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Labour
	Major the Rt Hon Gwilym Lloyd-George (later Lord Tenby)		31 October 1951	18 October 1954	Conservative
	Rt Hon Derick Heathcoat-Amory (later Lord Amory) (Combined the separate posts of Minister of Agiculture & Fisheries and Minister of Food, pending the merger of 1955)		October, 1951	January, 1958	Conservative

References

For Minister of Food 1939-1958:

• Foreman, Susan. "Appendix A". Loaves and fishes : an illustrated history of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1889-1989. London: HMSO. p. 127. ISBN 9780112428237. OCLC 20525761. 
• Fearnley-Whitti, Jane. The Ministry of Food: Thrifty Wartime Ways to Feed Your Family Today. Hodder HB. ISBN 978-1444700350.