FOOD SUPPLY AFTER THE BOMB

[Music] [Music] Hy Sam hello there Hank what brings you out here Martha sent me after a couple of quarts of milk Ain they got n at the General Store the General stores are closed Hank how come Ralph had to go visit his folks in Waterton I guess he couldn't find anyone to run the store anything you need besides milk Sam not today but if Ralph don't get back pretty soon we're going to need some beef ain't figing on butcher till tues Tuesday well I have to pick up a sack of flow to mill on Wednesday I'll step back then all right I'll put by a little beef for you thanks I'll appreciate it by the way Becky's put out some apricot preserves once you go get some while I fetch the milk all right Hanks I sure do like Becky's apricot preserves see up the house then okay since this scene took place some 50 years ago many changes have been made in the way things are done on the farm the Machine age has affected agriculture as well as industry and even though the modern farmer may still have to chase his cows Machinery is available to make practically everything else he does simpler and easier the milking machine for instance has eliminated the slow and tedious process of milking by hand cranking the separator is another chore the farmer no longer has to do instead he ships his whole milk to the city where a dairy plant separates the milk from the creane here the milk is processed into a large variety of milk products milk bottling machines fill and cast the bottles at the rate of over a thousand every hour other machines are used to seal milk in paper cartons farmer Jones who once drank the milk from his own cows now prefers to have it delivered to his door pasteurized and homogenized instead of doing his own butchering the farmer now sends most of his cattle to a feed lot here they are given a special diet of concentrated food when the cattle are fattened and ready for Market they are shipped to packing plants in the city these packing plants do more than simply butcher cattle meat is packaged for the home freezer many cuts are canned ingredients for medicine are extracted from the glands fertiliz ER is made from the bones and as the old saying goes everything is used but the squeal whether it's cutting dried beef into paper thin slices or making hot dogs Modern Machinery has made the job faster and easier than the old fashioned methods the Farmer's Grain once ground at local Mills now goes to Giant elevators in the city dresses and pillow slips are still made from the colorful sacks but the flower inside is better and more consistent in quality the housewife can select pancake flour biscuit flour and a variety of cake mixes to make her baking problem simpler research and testing is continually carried on in flower mills to improve quality and develop new flower products grandmother put up her Jam when the fruit was Rip but today the fruit is canned or Frozen and then made into Jam or jelly throughout the year sprawling warehouses in the city have replaced the oldfashioned food seller vegetables frozen food staple groceries and meat are stored here under exacting conditions of temperature and humidity farmer Jones now sends his milk his livestock his grain and most of his other farm products to the city to be processed here they are stored for later distribution over a vast area what then would happen to this highly centralized and complex system of food processing and distribution should a city be devastated by an enemy bomb the centralization of the food industry has made it a highly vulnerable Target in an average American city a single bomb would disable 95% of the food processing industry destroy 87% of the food stored in warehouses and wipe out at least 62% of the retail food stores grocery stores on The Fringe of the blast would be closed for decontamination some of the food would be condemned and destroyed other food stuffs particularly canned goods could be salvaged by washing with water but since the city water supply would probably be contaminated emergency water carriers such as this concrete truck would be pressed into service to transport pure water from rural areas what about food stores in the suburbs that haven't been damaged let's look into one and see what might happen will that be all ma'am yes I think I can make that do I don't usually get this much but I'm feeding two extra families now it seems like everybody's taking care of folks from downtown I'm so glad my home's still in one piece I don't really mind the inconvenience at all thank you ma'am thank you very much are you sure you need all those groceries ma'am I certainly do I suppose you've heard there's a serious food shortage now look here I'll decide what I need it's your job to sell me the food excuse me we've been trying to reach you by phone but all the lines are down the governor has ordered all food stores in this area closed how come there just isn't enough food to go around we'll probably have to take most of your groceries to the field kitchen at Brighton how soon do you think we'll open again oh it'll be about a week before enough food is shipped in and even then it will probably be rationed you mean we're closed down now that's right no more food is to leave the store where's the manager I think you'll find him in the store room in the back thank you I'm sorry ma'am I suppose you heard no more groceries go out of the store today well how in the world do you expect me to eat you want me to stop to death never mind it doesn't take many hoarders to deplete the city's dwindling food supply consequently grocery stores will be closed for hundreds of miles in the vicinity of the blast to preserve the remaining food stuffs for emergency use the housewife will have to feed her family for as long as 10 days with the groceries she has on hand let's look into a Suburban home that hasn't been down damaged by the blast this lady is more fortunate than most she has a large supply of food on hand and doesn't anticipate any trouble in keeping her family well FedEd it looks like tonight's menu will include some fried potatoes there's a surprise in store however when she tries to turn on the stove the Blast has damaged the gas Mains and storage tanks it will be quite some time before the service is restored again trying to prepare a meal without a stove presents a real problem it will be interesting to see how the family likes those raw potatoes but wait a minute she just remembered her charcoal broiler and not only will she be able to fry the potatoes she can also have some charcoal broil steaks the freezing compartment of her refrigerator has enough steak to last for days she doesn't feel quite right about eating charcoal broil steaks While others are existing on a substandard diet but once again she took too much for granted her freezer hasn't been operating for several days because the generating plant was destroyed by the blast and most of the power lines are down frozen food doesn't last long after the freezer stops working what about the other food in the refrigerator it's not keeping well either particularly the milk which doesn't last long without Refrigeration the baby would have a rough time of it if this housewife wasn't fortunate enough to have a supply of dried milk on hand dried milk keeps without refrigeration and all she has to do is add water to make a substitute for fresh milk unfortunately however more unpleasantness awaits her when she tries to add water contamination from the Blast has polluted the reservoirs and the City Health Department has shut off the water this also leaves her without any drinking water and cooking without water is difficult since many foods require its use this lady is not as well off as she thought she has plenty of groceries but not the right kind the question is what can a housewife do to prepare for such an emergency when the home is without gas water or electricity to answer this question let's go to the grocery store this lady is shopping for her supply of emergency groceries she will select food that can be kept for a long period of time without Refrigeration that can be prepared without water and can be served if necessary without heating or cooking most canned foods meet these requirements so let's start with some vegetables practically every type is put in cans corn Tomatoes peas beans and many other varieties are available to soit The Taste each family has certain food preferences and this should be kept in mind when making the selection since these groceries could be a family's entire food supply in time of emergency it's well to choose a variety since eating the same thing day after day can become monotonous and unappetizing canned fruit should also be included on the shopping list it's delicious when served right out of the can don't forget the Cann juices they will provide plenty of liquid if there's a shortage of drinking water the emergency food supply should be large enough to last at least 7 days since most kitchens normally have a 3-day supply of food this brings the total food supply to 10 days which is the estimated time it will take to resume normal food distribution after an enemy attack meat furnishes plenty of protein a necessary part of any well-balanced diet select the variety that requires no cooking or Refrigeration if there are babies or children in the house milk is sure to be an essential food item canned milk is condensed and requires dilution so water should be stored with the emergency food for this purpose everything this lady has selected comes in cans the question is does it have to come in cans to be suitable for an emergency food the answer is no this lady prefers canned soup you might like some graham crackers for instance or some raisins or dried apricots all these things are suitable since they fulfill the requ requirements for an emergency food if you have any questions about what to buy call or write your local Civil Defense Agency and they will be glad to help if this emergency food is placed on the Shelf the housewife will find herself using some of the items when she runs short of her regular groceries if this happens it won't take long to deplete the emergency food supply and Destroy its Effectiveness the best plan is to store the food separately in a cardboard box water can be sealed in jars and packed with the groceries water is essential for preparing tan milk and could come in mighty handy for drinking or cooking the best place to store the box is in a bomb shelter if one is not available the next best bet is against the basement wall closest to the center of the city after the box is filled it should be sealed to protect the contents from possible contamination by radioactive fallout the emergency food box is an investment in time and money but a good investment in terms of the dividends it may someday pay in the form of a healthy well-fed family [Music]