HC Deb 08 October 1946 vol 427 cc41-2W
Sir W. Darling

asked the Minister of Food the present ingredients of the standard loaf.

Mr. Strachey

The normal ingredients in National Bread are National flour, water, salt and yeast, but bakers are permitted to use any of the following:

  • White Flour.
  • Oils and Fats.
  • Improvers of the nature of yeast food
  • Any acid or acidic substances suitable for regulating the acidity of the dough.
  • Potato and Potato Flour.
  • Barm.

Sir W. Darling

asked the Minister of Food if he will now consider restricting the sale of bread until after 24 hours of its being baked.

Mr. Strachey

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Hollis) on 3rd April, of which I am sending him a copy. There is nothing which I can usefully add to that reply.

Sir E. Graham-Little

asked the Minister of Food what is the present cost of the subsidy for bread; and what addition has resulted to that cost from the arrangements required to institute bread rationing, including the payment of extra civil servants thus employed.

Mr. Strachey

The present annual cost of the subsidy for bread (which does not cover the cost of staff of the Ministry) based on existing rates which are provisional and will be fixed after a costing investigation has been completed, is £5,800,000. Until this investigation has been undertaken, it is not possible to say what addition to this cost has resulted from bread rationing. It is not possible to determine with accuracy the extra cost of staff specifically engaged for bread rationing, but it is estimated to be about £400,000 a year.

Sir E. Graham-Little

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consider adding to the list of advisers responsible for recommending the addition of double the previous quantity of chalk in bread some practising physicians as a counterpoise to advice based predominantly on laboratory experiments unchecked by clinical experience.

Mr. Strachey

The amount of creta praeparata which is added to flour was decided after consultation with the Ministry's scientific and medical advisers and after recommendations had been made by the Medical Research Council and considered by the Standing Committee on Medical and Nutritional Problems. The membership of these bodies includes a number of leading physicians and it is not proposed to add to their numbers.