§ 36. Dr. Strossasked the Minister of Food the total amount of chalk which is added to flour in any given year; and from what source the chalk is obtained.
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeIn the 12 months ended 23rd May, 1953, 11,369 tons of calcium carbonate were added to National flour. The whole of the supplies conformed to the specifications of the British Pharmacopoeia and were obtained from home sources.
§ Dr. StrossIs the Minister aware that a great deal of discussion is going on whether there is any need to add chalk to our flour today, and that the original views are suspect? Can he say whether his Department are doing anything to check up on this problem and see whether we could not possibly now do without this substance?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeThe hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that there is very seldom unanimity on these particular points. He will also recollect that this was the result of the work of the committee of 1941. The reason that it is still being maintained is because there is a proved deficiency of calcium intake in our diet.
§ Dr. StrossDoes not the Minister agree that recent experiments in South Africa have shown that the work in 1941 may well be not as accurate as we should like it to be and may not justify the use of 11,000 tons of chalk in our flour each and every year? Will not the Minister's Department look at the question once more?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeI am always prepared to look at important matters of this sort, but it is admitted that there is a very serious shortage of calcium intake.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanIs the Minister aware that it will cause a great deal of alarm in this country if people think that thousands of tons of chalk are put into bread? Is he also aware that if one has full wheat one does not require chalk?