§ Mr. J. Griffithsasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the quantity of canned foodstuffs imported into this country in the past 12 months, and the quantity produced here in the same period; and whether he has any proposals for an expansion of the home food-canning industry?
§ Mr. StanleyFollowing is a statement which shows the quantity of certain canned foodstuffs imported into the United Kingdom during the 12 months ended June, 1939:
202W
Description. Quantity. Thous. cwts. Meat (excluding poultry and game, and extracts and essences) tinned, canned, etc. 1,769 Fish (including shell fish) canned 1,845 Fruit preserved with or without added sugar, tinned or bottled. 4,987 Vegetables preserved in air-tight containers, with no sweetening matter. 1,114 Condensed milk (a) 1,471 (a) The amount of tinned condensed milk imported into this country cannot be stated, but it is known that very large quantities of condensed milk are used in manufacture and are probably purchased in bulk. As regards production, no information later than that supplied to the hon. Member on 30th April, 1937, is yet avail able. No specific proposals for the expansion of the food canning industry are before me at present.