Leena Watts
During the Second World War, Sir Jack Drummond was a biochemist who advised the British government on nutrition and food contamination. He was also known for his work on the English diet over the previous 500 years, which he published as the book *The Englishman's Food: A History of Five Centuries of English Diet* in 1939. In 1940, Drummond was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food, and produced a plan for the distribution of food based on sound nutritional principles. Thanks to Drummond's advice, the effect of rationing was to introduce more protein and vitamins to the diet of the poorest in society, while the better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | The Drummond Diet Plan |
| Creator | Sir Jack Cecil Drummond FRIC, FRS |
| Date | 1940 |
| Purpose | To improve the health of the poorest in society |
| Rationale | A plain but balanced diet is the nearest thing to the elixir of life |
| Implementation | Food rationing and distribution based on "sound nutritional principles" |
| Results | Follow-up studies showed that the population's health improved despite the stresses of war |
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What You'll Learn
The effect of rationing
Sir Jack Cecil Drummond was a biochemist who became Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food in 1940. He produced a plan for the distribution of food based on "sound nutritional principles". Drummond's advice meant that the poorest in society had access to more nutritious food, while the better off had to cut down on their consumption of certain foods.
Drummond's work was based on his interest in gastronomy and his study of the English diet over the previous 500 years. He co-authored a book with his future second wife Anne Wilbraham, *The Englishman's Food: A History of Five Centuries of English Diet*, which was published in 1939. The Ministry of Food consulted him on the gas contamination of food at the outbreak of war, and he was appointed chief adviser on food contamination in October 1939.
Drummond urged the creation of a co-ordinating unit within the ministry with a scientific liaison officer in charge. He also encouraged self-sufficiency, with the Ministry of Agriculture persuading Britons to plant their own food under the slogan "Dig for Victory". Between 1939 and 1944, the arable land area in England and Wales increased by 63%, with wheat, barley and potato crops almost doubling, and the production of oats rising by two-thirds.
Follow-up studies after the war showed that, despite rationing and the stresses of war, the population's health had improved. Drummond was knighted in the 1944 New Year Honours and elected Fellow of the Royal Society in March 1944. He became an adviser on nutrition to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in 1944 and to the allied control commissions for Germany and Austria in 1945.
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The role of the Ministry of Food
The Ministry of Food appointed Sir Jack Drummond as its chief scientific adviser on food contamination in October 1939. Drummond was a biochemist with an interest in gastronomy, and had studied the English diet over the previous 500 years. He urged the creation of a co-ordinating unit within the ministry with a scientific liaison officer in charge.
In February 1940, Drummond was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food. When Lord Woolton became Minister of Food in April 1940, Drummond produced a plan for the distribution of food based on "sound nutritional principles".
Drummond's advice meant that the effect of rationing was to introduce more protein and vitamins to the diet of the poorest in society, while the better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs. Follow-up studies after the war showed that, despite rationing and the stresses of war, the population's health had improved.
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The 'Dig for Victory' campaign
The Dig for Victory campaign was a drive for self-sufficiency in Britain during the Second World War. The Ministry of Agriculture encouraged Britons to plant their own food, with the slogan 'Dig for Victory' urging householders to turn their gardens into vegetable patches. Even public spaces like Windsor Great Park and Lord's cricket ground were given over to wheat. Between 1939 and 1944, the arable land area in England and Wales increased by 63%, with wheat, barley and potato crops almost doubling, and oat production rising by two-thirds.
The campaign was part of a wider effort to ensure the British population was well-nourished during the war. Sir Jack Cecil Drummond, a biochemist, was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food in 1940, and produced a plan for the distribution of food based on 'sound nutritional principles'. Drummond's work ensured that rationing introduced more protein and vitamins to the diet of the poorest in society, while the better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs. Follow-up studies after the war showed that the population's health had improved despite the stresses of war.
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Drummond's work on food contamination
Sir Jack Cecil Drummond FRIC, FRS (12 January 1891 – 4/5 August 1952), was a biochemist who studied the English diet over the previous 500 years. He published his findings in the book *The Englishman's Food: A History of Five Centuries of English Diet* in 1939.
Drummond was appointed chief adviser on food contamination to the Ministry of Food on 16 October 1939. In this role, he urged the creation of a coordinating unit within the ministry with a scientific liaison officer in charge. He was also interested in the various scientific aspects of the ministry's work.
On 1 February 1940, Drummond was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food. When Lord Woolton became Minister of Food in April 1940, Drummond produced a plan for the distribution of food based on "sound nutritional principles". Thanks to Drummond's advice, the effect of rationing was to introduce more protein and vitamins to the diet of the poorest in society, while the better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs. Follow-up studies after the war showed that, despite rationing and the stresses of war, the population's health had improved.
Drummond was Fullerian Professor of Physiology and Comparative Anatomy at the Royal Institution from 1941 to 1944. He was knighted in the 1944 New Year Honours and elected Fellow of the Royal Society on 16 March 1944. In 1944, Drummond became an adviser on nutrition to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and in 1945 to the allied control commissions for Germany and Austria.
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Drummond's book, *The Englishman's Food*
In 1939, Jack Drummond published the book *The Englishman's Food: A History of Five Centuries of English Diet*, co-authored with his future second wife Anne Wilbraham. Drummond's interest in gastronomy and his awareness of the English diet led him to study it over the previous 500 years.
Drummond's work on nutrition was applied to the British diet under rationing during the Second World War. He was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Food in February 1940, and when Lord Woolton became Minister of Food in April 1940, Drummond produced a plan for the distribution of food based on "sound nutritional principles".
Drummond's advice meant that the effect of rationing was to introduce more protein and vitamins to the diet of the poorest in society, while the better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs. Follow-up studies after the war showed that, despite rationing and the stresses of war, the population's health had improved.
Drummond was also concerned with the scientific aspects of the Ministry of Food's work. He urged the creation of a coordinating unit within the ministry with a scientific liaison officer in charge. In 1944, he became an adviser on nutrition to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and in 1945 to the allied control commissions for Germany and Austria.
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Frequently asked questions
The Drummond diet plan was a plain but balanced diet, which was intended to improve the health of the poorest in society by introducing more protein and vitamins. The better off were obliged to cut their consumption of meat, fats, sugar, and eggs.
The diet plan was named after Sir Jack Cecil Drummond FRIC, FRS, a biochemist who was noted for his work on nutrition as applied to the British diet under rationing during the Second World War.
The slogan used to encourage Britons to plant their own food was "Dig for Victory".
