Mr. David Adamsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, before transferring recently imported lemons from fresh fruit markets, he has satisfied himself that the manufacturers to whom they were offered were in a position to handle the fruit with sufficient speed to prevent deterioration and waste?
§ Mr. Jacksonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why recent importations of lemons were withheld from consumers and sold directly by his department to processors and soft drink manufacturers; and what quantity such processors and soft drink manufacturers, respectively, have purchased from the Ministry?
Major Lloyd GeorgeOut of 182,261 cases of lemons which arrived in Great Britain between 9th June and 23rd July, 88,459 were sold to marmalade manufacturers, 14,688 to fruit drink manufacturers and 79,114 cases to the fresh fruit trade. Those cases which were sold for making marmalade were disposed of in this way in order to augment the supplies of marmalade to meet the increase in the preserves ration which came into force this week. Those which were sold to fruit drink manufacturers were intended to supplement their stocks of lemon juice which are now much reduced owing to the cutting off of the main pre-war source of supply of this commodity.