Catalogue description Ministry of Food: Supply Department: Supply Secretariat

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Details of MAF 83
Reference: MAF 83
Title: Ministry of Food: Supply Department: Supply Secretariat
Description:

Papers originating in branches once part of the Economics Division and its successors, the General Department and the Supply Secretariat of the Ministry of Food. They deal with the policy for production, supply and distribution of food at home and overseas.

File series included in this series are as follows:

  • The ECA (import policy and external relations) file series.
  • The ECB (home policy, including prices, priorities and agriculture) file series.
  • The Import Plans and Supply Plans Divisions file series.
  • The ZA (import programmes and post war policy) file series.
  • The ZB (relief policy) file series.
  • The ZC (lease-lend policy, long term contracts and world food situation) file series.
  • The ZD (Middle East and other countries) file series.
  • The ZE (British Commonwealth and French dominions and other countries) file series.
  • The IPL (used by the section of division based in London) file series.
  • The SO file series.
  • The PW file series of the Post War Plans Division.
  • The XR file series of the External Relations Division.
  • The INP file series of the International Policy Division.
  • The IP file series of the Import Policy Division, which replaced Import and Utilisation Plans Division.
  • The HP file series of the two Home Policy Divisions.
  • The CEN files of the old Central Division of Supply Department.
  • The CTS file series of the Central Secretariat attached to the permanent secretary.
  • The SUP file series of the Supply Secretariat.
  • The OPA file series of the Overseas Policy Division of the Secretariat.
  • The AG file series of the Overseas Production Division of the Supply Secretariat, which also contains the papers of the special section which was set up to examine the East African Groundnut Scheme adopted in the Overseas Resources Development Act, 1948.

The papers included are generally those dated between 1940 and 1955, when the Ministry of Food was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Date: 1939-1957
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Ministry of Food, Economics Division, 1939-1941

Ministry of Food, General Department, 1941-1946

Ministry of Food, Supply Department, 1947-1955
Physical description: 3649 file(s)
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
Administrative / biographical background:

The control divisions of the Ministry of Food were part of the original Supply Department and were responsible for the trading activities of the Ministry which included the procurement, distribution and processing of the various commodities.

The basic organisation of the Supply Department remained fairly constant until the end of 1946. As a result of changing circumstances a major re-organisation of the Ministry was undertaken in January 1947 which resulted in the Supply Department being split into five commodity groups and a Secretariat. At the same time responsibility for long term marketing plans and international negotiation which had previously been undertaken by the General Department was transferred to the Supply Department. In the ensuing years there were many changes in the number and composition of the Supply Groups.

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