§ 52. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether imported molasses are classified by his Department as a food with medicinal properties; if he will require that all tins of this substance bear an analysis on their label; and what proportion of the total amount consumed annually is for human and cattle consumption, respectively.
Mr. AmoryIt is not a function of my Department to classify foods with medical properties. The Food Standards Committee advise me that there is no case for specifying a standard of composition for molasses, and I do not think any useful purpose would be served by requiring the disclosure of analysis on labels. I regret that information about the quantities consumed annually by human beings and cattle is not available.
§ Mr. SorensenWhile I appreciate that with certain medicines and medicinal foods an analysis already appears on the label of the tin or container, yet, seeing that there is a substantial increase in the consumption of this substance, presumably on the ground that it has medicinal properties, would it not be advisable to avoid any deception of purchasers by ensuring that the analysis is placed on the label?