Mr. BROADLEYasked the President of the Local Government Board—(1) whether he will consider the advisability of prohibiting the introduction of a so-called improver into genuine flour, as it has been found that the improvers of certain chemical companies contain arsenic, and many of them are simply preparations of purified bone ash, while others contain large quantities of gypsum or sulphate of lime; whether he proposes to take any steps to deal with the use of these substitutes for the food values of pure flour in view of the provisions of the Bread Act of 1836; and (2) whether samples of the different flours for sale in the United Kingdom have been taken by the Government food inspectors for the purpose of analysis; and whether it has been found to be a practice among some millers to adulterate the flour by the addition of chemicals of an injurious character with a view to increasing its whiteness, and also to give the flour made from a poor, non-glutinous wheat the capacity to rise when in the process of baking, which would otherwise have to depend for its raising properties on the natural gluten Contained in the wheat, and that, glutinous wheats being over a series of years the most expensive, the manufacturers who practise these methods are reaping a financial advantage at the risk of the consumer, and supplying a flour which has not its proper food value in gluten?
§ Mr. BURNSThe inquiry which I have directed into the bleaching of flour and the use of so-called improvers in its preparation is proceeding, and the points raised in these questions are receiving attention.