This is an example of a Leave or Duty Ration Booklet issued to Captain Brewer of the 14th Battalion Royal Montreal Regiment while he was in Britain awaiting return to Canada at the end of the War. It allowed him to buy food while on leave in the local towns and cities.
During World War I the British government was initially reluctant to try to control the food markets. It fought off efforts to try to introduce minimum prices in cereal production, though relenting in the area of controlling of essential imports (sugar, meat, and grains). When it did introduce changes, they were limited in their effect. In 1916, it became illegal to consume more than two courses while lunching in a public eating place or more than three for dinner; fines were introduced for members of the public found feeding the pigeons or stray animals.