!!!Lebensmittelversorgung

Food Supply, under normal circumstances food supply is governed by the 
market, while it is controlled by provincial and federal authorities 
in times of crisis. Up to the 20%%sup th/%  century self-sufficiency 
prevailed in the countryside and small towns were largely 
self-sufficient. Laws designed to guarantee sufficient food supply 
soon constituted part of the statutes of larger towns (e.g. provisions 
prohibiting the purchase of agricultural products directly from the 
producer). From the reign of Friedrich III certain areas were 
reserved (by "dedications") for agricultural production in mining 
areas in order to guarantee food supply. This practice was abolished 
during the reign of Joseph II. In order to guarantee uniform 
price levels, price regulations were established by the authorities, 
especially in towns. Nevertheless sharp increases in prices, as well 
as famines, occurred in the pre-industrial era (e.g. 1770-1773). The 
growth of towns and industrialisation gave rise to new aspects of food 
supply in the 19%%sup th/%  century. New institutions (large market 
halls, slaughter-houses, cold-storage depots) were necessary to 
guarantee food supply. New types of retail trade replaced old markets. 
Cereal, flour and beef cattle were increasingly imported from Hungary 
to supply big towns. During World War I the importance of food supply 
increased dramatically because important cereal cultivation areas 
(Galicia, Bukovina) were at the same time theatres of war and 
therefore could not supply food for Austrian towns. Hungary supplied 
the army with bread but provided only a very small amount for the use 
of the civil population in Austria. The 
"Kriegsgetreide-Verkehrsanstalt" (Wartime cereal supply management 
agency) was founded to ensure the supply of basic foods; food ration 
cards were distributed from 1915 onwards, but the difficulties in 
supplying the agreed amount of food increased steadily. The disastrous 
food supply was one reason for the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian 
Empire, whose war economy management began to deteriorate in the 
summer of 1918. When the monarchy fell apart, the situation became 
drastically worse because the individual provinces shut themselves off 
from one another - the danger of famine was imminent during the 
winters of 1918/1919 and 1919/1920, especially in the towns, and was 
only prevented by food deliveries by the Allies. In order to prevent a 
revolution, food prices were regulated by the government, which was 
one of the causes for high inflation in the post-war period. Only from 
1921/1922 onwards did food supply normalise. World War II was 
carefully planned by the National-Socialist regime, as can be seen 
from the fact that food ration cards were already being distributed by 
the end of August 1939. Food allocations to average consumers 
decreased by 1944 to about 2,000 calories a day (in 1937 average 
calorie consumption in Austria had been 3,200 calories). After the end 
of the war food supply decreased even further, especially in Vienna, 
where it was down to 350 calories in May 1945. By summer 1945 it had 
increased to 1,000 calories and in 1946 it amounted to up to 1,220 
calories a day. The crisis persisted in 1947 (especially in winter 
1947/48). Subsequently, however, the official cost of living and black 
market prices tended to converge, and in the first months of 1950, 
black markets disappeared completely. Food supply has since then been 
governed by market economy principles, even though some regulations in 
the form of subsidies for agriculture were sustained until 1994. The 
share of food in the total amount of the cost of living has decreased 
slowly but steadily in the 20%%sup th/%  century: an average household 
spent 59 % of the family income on food, beverages and tobacco from 
1912-1914, in 1935 the share was 53.7 %, in 1970 32 % and in 
1989 24.4 %.


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