62. Mr. Dc la Bèreasked the Minister of Food whether he will consider giving encouragement at the present time to factories engaged in the preparation of both frosted foods and canning, as regards making available additional food and especially for the purposes of encouraging growers to develop crops to a greater extent because of the certain knowledge that there was a market at home which would absorb them.
§ Dr. Summerskill, This will be done so far as possible, but allocations of fresh fruit for these purposes must take second place to the needs of the consumer for fresh fruit and jam.
63. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Food whether he will consider removing the restrictions on the canning of fruit, at least to some extent, to enable a fair and wide distribution of fruit in view of the difficulties of transport and distribution of fruit in its fresh state, and having regard to its perishable nature.
§ Dr. SummerskillI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on 27th February, to which I have nothing to add.
§ Dr. SummerskillI can assure the hon. Gentleman that I should like to undertake to. do all these things he asks, which are quite reasonable. The only difficulty is that there is a shortage of fruit.