Agriculture in the United Kingdom fund the purchase as a mortgage. The Council could not refuse without the Minister of Agriculture's permission. In 1919 the Board of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food were merged to form the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which later became the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). MAFF was in turn the predecessor of DEFRA. Before the Second World War started, Britain imported 55 million tons of food a year. By the end of 1939, this had dropped to 12 million, and food rationing was introduced at the start of 1940. It did not completely end until July
Food in the Occupation of Japan People took advantage of the hunger crisis by selling goods that were limited under the rationing system. Criminal gang members were especially known for engaging in the black market system. Many bartered ramen, which they made from the U.S.' increased wheat exports. (Ironically, ramen was inspired by the Chinese noodle soup "chuka soba".) This food was crucial during the famine, since its noodles were filling and high in calories. The U.S. authorities tacitly overlooked the black market system by discounting the activity of large suppliers. Instead, George Solt, the author of "The Untold History of Ramen", asserts that the government