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Revision as of 11:53, 20 June 2003 by Tarquin (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Rationing is the controlled distribution of widely desired but limited resources that would otherwise be consumed unfairly by a few.
In economics, rationing is a form of demand control in a market system.
A Ration is one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.
- See also: C-ration, MRE, rum, 10-in-1 food parcel
Rationing is a practice that has long been used in the military, especially the navy, to make supplies last for a defined duration, such as a voyage. To ration the supplies, they are divided up into equal portions for each person for each day, or even a meal, over the expected voyage period. The objective is to ensure that each person receives a fair share of supplies throughout the voyage. Often some reserve was also held. If supplies ran short or the voyage went longer than expected, the ration portions would be reduced. For Example: Half Rations means the portions are cut in half, making the supplies last twice as long.
There was rationing in the United Kingdom during both World War I and World War II. Towards the end of the first world war, panic buying in Britain prompted rationing for the rest of the war. The British Ministry of Food refined the process in the 1940s to ensure the population did not starve when food imports were severely restricted and local production limited due to the large number of men fighting the war. Rationing did not end in Britain until the 1950's.
- See also: Black market, SPAM