From plain fare to fusion food summarizes the changes that occurred in the diet during the twentieth century, an era which began and ended with agriculture in crisis and the safety of food under scrutiny. For a small, over-populated island, Britain's policy of free trade before 1914 was necessary for the country to maintain itself by importing food, including much which could have been grown in the country. This left Britain open to ‘starvation’ campaigns during both World Wars. In 1917, and again in 1943, the worst years for submarine warfare, there were times when it appeared as if such campaigns might succeed. Rising food prices in the First World War caused great discontent in the absence of a fair system of distribution until the last few months of the war. The dissatisfaction of consumers in the food queues was never matched in the Second World War, when the distribution of food appeared to be more equitable. The reliance on imports for the bulk of the food supply continued until the last quarter of the century, even though trade policy changed, notably in 1931, when free trade was abandoned; in 1947, when wartime price support for agriculture was extended; and more recently, in 1973, when Britain entered the Common Market. In the years following the Second World War, food imports remained significant despite the stimulus of price support policies for agriculture. Table 10.1 shows that home production of food was still inadequate, and Britain relied upon imports for half its food supply during the 1960s and 1970s. The use of express transport to meet the demand for increased variety – even to the extent of importing fresh food by air freight from the USA and African countries – maintained imports at a significant level during the later years of the century. From 1973, food supplies became subject to the European Commission's Common Agricultural Policy which introduced quotas, including taking land out of production (‘set-aside’) in order to maintain agricultural prices and incomes. This dismantled the international trading system involving the Commonwealth and other food producers that had created price stability in the British market.