§ Mr. Simmondsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that the troops are tired of beef, and the housewives are tired of mutton, and what remedial action he is prepared to take?
§ Mr. BoothbySubstantial issues of mutton to the fighting services have been made for some time past and during the last four weeks the issues of mutton and beef have been in the ratio of one to three, guided by the wishes of the competent authorities as to the type of meat to be supplied to the Armed Forces, but these authorities are aware that supplies of mutton are readily available.
§ Mr. Simmondsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that butchers are being obliged to sell meat too soon after it has been killed; and what action he proposes to take to prevent this cause of waste?
§ Mr. BoothbyI am not aware that butchers are obliged to sell meat too soon after it has been killed. If my hon. Friend will give me particulars of the cases he has in mind, I will look into them.
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§ Mr. Grovesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware of the interference with the trade of the sausage and cooked meat manufacturers; and, in view of the Government's desire that normal trade shall be maintained as far as possible, will he be prepared to meet a deputation from the association of these traders?
§ Mr. BoothbyThe control which it has been necessary to exercise in the national interest over the supply of raw meat to the sausage and cooked meat manufacturers and over the price of their products has inevitably resulted in some interference with the trade but this has been confined to a minimum. An advisory committee set up by the Ministry representative of interests in the trade has recently reviewed the control procedure and has expressed itself as generally satisfied with the system of control. Certain modifications in the definition and prices of sausages and sausage meat have just been authorised after consultation with the committee. In these circumstances the association referred to may not consider it necessary to press its request for the reception of a deputation.
Mr. Rostron Duckworthasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how much meat within the last two months has been destroyed as unfit for human consumption before it was distributed to the public?
§ Mr. BoothbyThe full quantity of meat and edible offals "condemned" as unfit for human food during the months of April and May, before reaching the public, cannot be stated in the absence of data in respect of "condemnation" by the local authorities' inspectors in retail butchers' shops and meat manufacturers' premises. "Condemnations" during these months at port cold stores and docks, wholesale meat depots and slaughterhouses, were approximately 1 per cent, of the aggregate weight of meat and offals for human consumption passing through the wholesale depots.