A History of Retro Sweet: The Significance of Sweet Rationing

Here at Retro Sweet, the rationing that came about due to the war brought a significant impact on the nostalgia that we feel for many of the products we have available. Read more about some of the favourite missed flavours! 

February 5th 1953 is a significant date for us here at Retro Sweet; but we’re guessing a few of you won’t realise why. Well, that’s the date children up and down the country rejoiced as sweet rationing came to an end, eight years after the end of the war, and some of our retro favourites were once again available to be manufactured and bought. Bringing us forward to this day to allow us to create the nostalgia that so many people feel towards some of our favourite sweets.

Why Were Sweets Rationed?

Chocolate and sweets were rationed for over ten years due to wartime shortages, with only 12oz’s of sweets a month allowed to be purchased until the rationing was repealed; manufacturers were allocated more sugar to allow them to produce adequate amounts of sweets to meet the demand of the children (and adults alike), finally getting to taste their favourite sweet treats once again! Only 54% of the sugar supplies they had before the war were provided, but sweet manufacturers were once again able to create sweets.

Favourite Missed Flavours

Many children had never tasted liquorice, or had been allowed to let a Flying Saucer melt on their tongue and let the sherbet escape, so often these were the first treats that were sought after.

Liquorice has been a firm favourite amongst children for many years, and it can be created in so many ways. At Retro Sweet, we offer liquorice wheels and liquorice cream rocks to bring these flavours to life once again.  

Hard boiled sweets, including pear drops, rosey apples and rhubarb and custard are also just a few that we can name that we know kids were fast to get their hands on after the war ended and rationing slowly but surely came to an end too! 

If you’re looking to take a trip down memory lane, shop our selection of Retro Sweet’s today. 

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