Eat to Beat the Devil
One war plant's participation in a national drive to boost war production through better nutrition.
"The need is urgent. America at war needs more ammunition, more quickly. Every worker on the job all the time is the vital necessity of the hour," reads a 1943 industrial report. footnote "That means an obligation to our country to keep ourselves fit for victory; fit for our war jobs on the production lines, making the bombs that keep our boys at the front on the firing lines."
This was the objective of the "Nutrition in Industry" program developed by Servel, Inc., an Indiana-based manufacturer of gas refrigerators and air conditioners that had converted to making burners for battlefield kitchen stoves, wings for fighter planes, anti-tank mines, and other necessities during World War II. footnote Servel's program was one of many that aimed to boost war production by improving the health of war plant workers by way of better nutrition, spurred on by a national drive by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's War Food Administration.
A poster promoting the Basic Seven food groups, introduced by the USDA in 1943. footnote
"If a man or woman comes to work in the morning on a breakfast of a cup of coffee [...] everything gets to growling about 10 o'clock. Hands begin to get quaky. You get accidents, slow-ups in production. Same thing is true when lunch, or whatever you call the midshift meal, is too sketchy. You can't work 10 hours a day on nothing.
"People who eat right have normal reactions. They feel better. They stay on the job, lose less time from illness."
A core part of the program was the "Victory Lunch," which was a balanced, low-cost meal sold in Servel's cafeteria. The lunch offering gave workers their choice of a meat, salad, vegetable, milk, and enriched bread and butter.
Outside of the war plant, Servel encouraged local restaurants to offer their own version of the Victory Lunch. Servel also produced materials and educational courses for the wives and mothers of war plant workers, to provide guidance on preparing healthy home-packed lunches as well as meals at home.
Women attending a Servel nutrition class at Avondale Mills in Sylacauga, Alabama. Image via the Alabama Department of Archives & History.
Servel put the full might of their advertising department—which at that time had no products to promote—behind the program. They developed a campaign that framed good nutrition as a patriotic contribution to the war effort, with the motivating slogan "Eat to Beat the Devil."
This theme is dramatized in promotional material with a striking illustration of Hitler in the role of you-know-who. The hellish Hitler is being dealt a knockout blow on the jaw by a manly fist labeled "America's Increased War Production."
The plant cafeteria was given a makeover, to create "an atmosphere of pleasantness [...] which is conducive to enjoyable eating." footnote The walls were freshly painted and adorned with government-issued posters promoting good health. Shiny new tables were installed, and stacks of educational take-home pamphlets were placed on top of them. To make food look more attractive, meals were now served on red plastic trays, which contained a placement with peppy illustrations of healthy foods.
Heavy emphasis was put on the Victory Lunch. Signs were posted along the food counter urging workers to complete their Victory Lunch. Even the cafeteria clock had a sign around its face that read "TIME YOU BOUGHT A VICTORY LUNCH." Those who purchased the lunch were entered into a weekly prize drawing; the first prize winner received $5.00 in War Stamps.
Cafeteria management gave thoughtful consideration to how foods could be presented to further entice healthy choices. For example:
It is interesting to note what has happened when some foods were placed in a different position at the counter. Formerly salads were more or less hidden down about the middle of the food line. Now they appear at the head of the line, first food to greet the eye. Salads used to be mainly a woman's dish at Servel. But now most of the men are including at least one salad in their meals. A surprising number of men even take two salads, they look so good!
Images from Consumers' guide footnote and Servel News. footnote footnote Servel News was a monthly publication for the gas industry produced by Servel's Sales Promotion Department.
The sales of Victory Lunches climbed week after week, and Servel declared the program a resounding success. Absenteeism reduced by sixteen percent footnote and workplace accidents reduced below the previous year's levels. Servel formalized the program and shared it with gas utility companies as a gesture of patriotism and good will, though Servel had their own separate incentives for doing so; the program enabled the manufacturer a way to maintain contact with gas companies, who were the main distributors of Servel's product, for the duration of the war. footnote