BREAD TICKET. In the World War, the scarcity of cereals in Europe forced nearly all the belligerent powers, and some of the neutrals, to ration bread. This led to the issue of bread-tickets or coupons as the obvious means of distributing supplies equitably. In Germany and Austria, the consumers were supplied with bread-tickets as early as 1915; the cards bore detachable coupons, numbered and dated to prevent fraud. Later, France and Italy followed suit, and Scandinavia, Holland and Switzerland found it necessary to issue bread-tickets. In the United Kingdom, rationing was adopted only after much argu ment and delay. Finally, ration books for some foods were issued, and each consumer had to choose and register with a par ticular retailer, but although the rationing of bread was contem plated it was not put into practice. (See RATIONING.)