On January 18, 1943, the US Food Administrator, Claude R. Wickard, ordered a ban on all sliced bread as part of a wartime conservation measure. The reason was unclear, but Wickard stated in a New York Times article that a sliced loaf of bread required a heavier wrapper so it didn't dry out, and the paper would need to be waxed. And without this wrapping, the stale pieces would be thrown out, thus wasting wheat and hampering the war effort. But there wasn't a shortage of wax paper, so it was assumed his measure was to conserve wheat. The outcry over not having sliced bread was swift, and the order was rescinded three months later on March 8, 1943.
