Flour Improvers (Hansard, 20 October 1952)

§ 16. Dr. Stross
asked the Minister of Food which flour improvers other than chlorine dioxide he has considered as possible substitutes for nitrogen trichloride; and which, he has been advised, is the most desirable.

§ Major Lloyd George
The examination of possible alternatives to the agene process has not yet been completed. Until I have the report of this examination I cannot add to what I said to the hon. Member on the subject on 31st March.

§ Dr. Stross
Will the Minister not accept, however, that it has been a very long time since this investigation began, and would be in any event accept this guiding principle, that there should be no introduction into the bodies of human beings of any chemicals which are foreign to, and not normally found in, human beings?

§ Major Lloyd George
I should hate to accept that principle, because I do not know whether it could be worked. The hon. Gentleman asked me to agree that there should not be introduced into the bodies of human beings any chemicals not normally found in human beings, but I am not sufficiently a technician to accept that. I must point out to the hon. Gentleman, however, that the last time he asked me this question I told him that my information was that the investigation would take a considerable time and that I did not expect to get the report before the end of the year. I still hope that that is the date by which I shall get it.

§ Colonel Gomme-Duncan
Would my right hon. and gallant Friend go into this again, because this interference by chemists and the so-called improvement of flour is becoming a very great danger? How can pure flour be improved?

§ Major Lloyd George
I would not know about that, but that is what this inquiry is supposed to tell me. I understand that this process has been used in flour making for over 50 years, but to make quite certain that there is no risk attached to it this committee is making a most careful investigation not only into agene but into possible alternatives.

§ Dr. Stross
Would the Minister at least answer me on this point, has his Department considered the use of ascorbic acid?

§ Major Lloyd George
I do not know about that particular one, but there are all sorts of alternatives before these gentlemen, and that is why it takes such a long time. Tests over a long period of time have to be taken before we dare take any risk in the matter.

§ 17. Dr. Stross
asked the Minister of Food to what extent there has been a change over from the use of nitrogen trichloride as a flour improver; and whether he can now say when nitrogen trichloride will no longer be in use.

§ Major Lloyd George
I have no precise information of the extent to which particular flour improvers are used and until I have the results of the investigations now in progress I cannot make any statement about the future.

§ Dr. Stross
Can the Minister tell us whether it is roughly 5 per cent., about 1 per cent., per year, since the Government originally stated that this change would take place? If so, does he not think that that is rather slow in connection with the use of a substance which is admittedly dangerous to some animals and possibly dangerous to human beings?

§ Major Lloyd George
The hon. Gentleman is probably in a far better position than I am to judge about the length of time, but I was advised by the technicians over a year ago that it would take a year to test it, and, therefore, I cannot anticipate their decision. It is getting on towards the end of the year and I hope at that time to be in possession of the necessary information.