HC Deb 06 August 1947 vol 441 cc1458-60
51. Mr. Peter Freeman

asked the Minister of Food what was the total weight and value of all principal foods consumed in this country in 1946; and the corresponding details for foods sup- plied to restaurants and canteens, separately.

Mr. Strachey

As the reply includes a large number of figures, I shall, with permission, circulate it in, the OFFICIAL REPORT.

QUANTITY AND VALUE OF PRINCIPAL FOODSTUFFS CONSUMED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1946.
TOTAL FOOD. CATERING ESTABLISHMENTS.
—— Quantity. '000 tons. Value (a) £'000. Quantity (b) '000 tons. Value (c) £'000.
Bread … 4,415 101,638 503 10,941
Flour … 1,753 33,887 89 1,946
Cakes and Biscuits … 1,113 150,104 107 13,201
Meat and Offal (d) … 1,814 211,347 182 21,140
Canned Meat … 172 32,229 15 2,667
Bacon and Ham (e) … 306 57,255 21 3,416
Fresh fish … 1,072 81,591 — —
Butter … 229 40,957 20 3,337
Margarine, lard and cooking fat … 504 39,877 58 4,292
Fresh milk (e) … 6,700 207,798 989 28,799
Canned milk … 166 14,026 17 1,337
Dried milk … 42 8,205 3 224
Cheese … 218 25,983 20 2,118
Eggs in shell (e) … 201 27,054 — —
Dried egg … 37 17,719 5 2,274
Tea … 191 63,328 32 10,129
Sugar … 1,254 49,506 92 3,155
Jam and Marmalade … 283 33,591 28 2,801
Chocolate and sugar confectionery … 232 49,529 24 4,136
Potatoes … 5,502 60 225 — —
Vegetables … 2,265 11,6844 — —
Canned and dried vegetables … 349 25,660 — —
Fresh fruit … 985 95,518 — —
All other foodstuffs … — 178,875 — 69,582
1,722,746 185,495
(a) These values are the totals of the estimated expenditure in the following five categories:
(i) Domestic purchases of food by households at retail prices, together with the value at farm prices of produce consumed on farms, and the value at the cost to the consumer of welfare foods provided under the National Milk, Milk-in-schools, and vitamin schemes.
(ii) Purchases by Category A catering establishments (restaurants, hotels and all residential establishments, together with institutions such as services hospitals, orphanages, hostels, etc., and school canteens and feeding centres, war-time nurseries, and public and private day schools) valued at the prices paid by these establishments.
(iii) Purchases by Category B catering establishments (voluntary service canteens, fire and police canteens, Industrial "A" and "B" canteens, Youth Service centres, workers' recreational clubs, and all other Cadet clubs, etc.) valued at the prices paid by these establishments.
(iv) Purchases by the Services of food for the Armed Forces in the U.K. valued at the prices paid by the Services.
(v) The quantities of ingredients used for the production of manufactured foods and their value at the prices paid by manufacturers are included against the ingredients where these are given separately in the above table. The value of other ingredients and the added value resulting from manufacture are shown against "All other foodstuffs."
(b) The quantities of unrationed foods consumed in catering establishments are unknown. An estimate of their value is included in the total.
(c) These values represent the totals of groups (ii) and (iii) noted in (a) above.
(d) Including canned corned meat and pork self-suppliers.
(e) Including self-suppliers.
Mr. Freeman

Can my right hon. Friend say how these figures compare with those during and before the war?

Mr. Strachey

Not without notice.

Following is the statement: