The official reason for the introduction of bread rationing in Britain was in order to divert scarce resources to European economies that had been worse affected by the war. But (according to Cook's Info) some felt that the real reason was more political than out of actual necessity: "Britain wanted two things from America: firstly that America should take over feeding refugees in the British occupied zone of Germany, and secondly, reconstruction loans and Marshall Plan aid. Britain needed, frankly, to look needy, even though it had a guaranteed wheat supply from Canada.
"Bread rationing ended in 1948, shortly after a signed and sealed agreement on Marshall Plan aid was safely in British hands."
(I have edited Cook's Info slightly.)
© Haydn Thompson 2017