history of meals for millions, soy, and freedom from ... - SoyInfo Center

Clinton and the California Dehydrators’ Association.
In 1946, Mr. Clinton established the “Meals for
Millions Foundation which has sent $390,000 of MPF relief
shipments to every part of the world, financed by itself and
other relief agencies.”
68. Faherty, Eleanor. 1948. I saved $8 on my monthly food
bill. Ladies’ Home Journal. Aug. p. 36-37, 139.
• Summary: “This is the diary of a housewife of Hopewell,
New Jersey, and her adventures last March with MPF
[Multi-Purpose Food]–a soybean food base now primarily
used to fight hunger and disease abroad by the Quakers, by
LARA, other relief agencies and by the United States
Government. Because it can be cooked over a candle flame,
because it keeps indefinitely, because of its low cost and
satisfying flavor, Paul de Kruif has nicknamed it ‘the
modern manna.’” It is produced by the nonprofit Meals for
Millions Foundation.
“Diary: March 2. An editor of the Journal visited me
today and asked me to try a new food called Multi-Purpose
Food. It is a protein ‘base’ food or food extender, fortified
with vitamins and minerals, is supposed to be pleasanttasting,
inexpensive and can be kept without refrigeration. It
is made chiefly of soybeans, onions and spices, and millions
of meals of it have been sent abroad to feed the hungry.”
The author, who used MPF largely in hamburgers, fish
cakes, and soup, called it a “super-stretcher.” The diary
describes each recipe in which MPF was used, and how the
family liked it. The family food bill was $80/month before
MPF was used. A month’s supply of MPF cost $3.10. “If
you want any MPF write direct to Meals for Millions
Foundation, 648 South Broadway, Los Angeles 14,
California. Trial package, 25 cents; six 20-ounce cans,
$4.00. Postage prepaid.”
69. Halferty, Guy. 1948. Three-cent meal eludes grasp of
U.S. housewife. Christian Science Monitor. Sept. 2. p. 5.
• Summary: Multi-Purpose Food was developed to combat
hunger and famine after World War II, but now American
housewives have pounced on it as a way of easing the high
cost of food.
During the past 3 years the nonprofit Meals for
Millions Foundation has quietly sent 10 million MPF meals
to hungry people overseas. Each meal costs donors 3 cents–
“a cost which has barely enabled the foundation to keep its
books in black ink.”
Very little of the relief food has been used in the United
States. But recently a large national woman’s magazine
[Ladies Home Journal, Aug. p. 36-37, 139] published a
detailed story by a housewife who had used MPF to beat the
high cost of food. The magazine devoted a two-page spread
to MPF, with recipes.
The response was immediate, and astonishing. A flood
of orders suddenly inundated the small Meals for Millions
MEALS FOR MILLIONS, SOY, AND FREEDOM FROM HUNGER 38
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2011
staff” at its headquarters at 648 South Broadway, Los
Angeles.
This was all very nice said Florence Rose, Executive
Secretary of the foundation. However MPF was never
intended to be sold commercially in the USA. The
foundation is supported by what it calls “memberships.”
Miss Rose encouraged people to contribute to MFM, as this
money provides for the continuation of their work.
Note: This is the earliest document seen (Dec. 2010)
that mentions Florence Rose in connection with Meals for
Millions, or multi-purpose food or Clifford Clinton.
Address: Staff correspondent.
70. Photograph of Clifford Clinton (left) explaining Multi-
Purpose Food to Wilmer Burk (center) and an unknown
person at the California State Fair. after World War I. 1948.
• Summary: Wilmer Burk was Clifton’s manager who was
drafted to assist and coordinate the booth’s activities,
promoting Meals for Millions and Multi-Purpose Food, and
answering questions. MFM had a booth at the state fair for
several years.
This photo and date were sent to Soyinfo Center by
Donald Clinton, son of Clifford Clinton (Jan. 2011).
71. Soybean Digest.1948. U.S. women buy MPF. Sept. p.
100.
• Summary: “Thousands of American housewives are
turning to Multi-Purpose Food, the highly publicized ‘3¢
meal’ in the domestic ‘Battle of the Budget,’ reports Meals
for Millions Foundation, Los Angeles. MPF was developed
by Dr. Henry Borsook of the California Institute of
Technology, primarily for use overseas. It is now being
extensively used for this purpose by welfare agencies active
in famine relief in Europe and Asia.
“The announcement of the unexpected domestic
demand for the new soy-based food was made by Clifford
E. Clinton, president of the non-profit Foundation. More
than 5,000 mail orders from all over the nation were
received less than a week after the August Ladies Home
Journal published an article in which a housewife records
how, by using MPF, she saved $8 on her monthly food bill.
“The Foundation, which provides the food in bulk
shipment at 3¢ a meal to relief agencies and donates such
agencies one meal for each 3¢ public contribution, has
hitched the domestic demand to its foreign relief program
by offering a two-meal, postage-prepaid sample to
Americans for 25¢ or ‘free with a $1 contribution to the
famine relief program.’
“The Foundation reports that nearly 13 million meals of
MPF have been distributed in 21 countries in the 2 years
following introduction of the new food.”
72. Borsook, Henry. 1948. We could feed the world.
Engineering and Science (California Inst. of Technology).