§ 39. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Food what further purchases of Polish frozen egg he has contracted to make; and what protests he has received from the trade against the quality of previous purchases.
§ Mr. WebbSubject to agreement on prices we have agreed to buy frozen egg from Poland for a five-year period beginning in 1949, but it would not help future negotiations with other suppliers if I disclosed the quantities contracted for or the prices so far fixed.
The trade have complained about the watery appearance of this egg when defrosted, and the off flavour that affected some part of last year's supply. One is the result of the pasteurising process to which the egg is subjected before freezing. The other, as the hon. Member knows, has been investigated over the past few months by scientific and trade bodies in co-operation with my Department.