§ Mr. Leachasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that the milling firm of Messrs. Carr, Limited, at Carlisle, which has been making a Vitamin B food for the last two and a half years, has been ordered to cease production and offer their supplies of wheat germ to a competitor firm that does no milling; what extra transport is entailed by transporting the wheat germ from Carlisle to the South of England, processing and packing it there and sending it North for distribution; that the new price to the public is 25 per cent. higher; that anti-vivisectionists, who do not buy goods produced by firms like this associated with experiments on animals, will have to go without; and can he take steps to annul the arrangement?
§ Mr. MabaneI am aware of the fact that the firm mentioned by my hon. Friend, subsequent to the outbreak of hostilities, commenced marketing a Vitamin B food similar to other brands which had been in production for some years. So long as white flour continued in distribution and germ was available, no restriction was placed on this operation, but with the advent of national flour in which the germ is included, supplies of germ for manufacturers became short. It was therefore decided to permit only pre-war manufacturers of Vitamin B foods to operate, and these on a much restricted basis. My Noble Friend considers that the advantages of concentration outweigh the other factors mentioned by my hon. Friend in the second part of his Question. In so far as the third part is concerned, I am aware that there are differences in price, and, as regards the fourth part, anti-vivisectionists can obtain a Vitamin B product made1180W by a firm not associated with animal experiments. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.