§ 37. Mr. Spenceasked the Minister of Food the value in calories of the food energy per capita per day of all nutrients available for civilian consumption in the United Kingdom during 1946, and itemise the per capita supplies of the following foodstuffs moving into civilian consumption in 1946 as compared with the average per capita supplies for 1934–38; milk, milk products, excluding cheese and butter, poultry and game, eggs, shell, dried and liquid, in fresh egg equivalent weight, flour and grain products, all vegetables, tea, cocoa and coffee, fats and oils, excluding butter, tomatoes and fruits of all 101W sorts including nuts and pulses, sugar and potatoes.
§ Mr. StracheyThe answer is contained in the statistics given below. They show that the number of calories available to civilian consumers per head per day in 1946 was 2,890, not, as has been erroneously stated, 2,100. The consumption of some individual foods in 1946 expressed as a percentage of their prewar consumption was as follows: Liquid milk, 144; eggs, shell, dried and liquid, 87; flour and grain products, 115; all vegetables, 110: tea, 96; oils and fats excluding butter, 105; butter, 44; bacon, 55; all other meats, 93; fish, 120; sugar, 72; potatoes, 161.
TABLE 1—Estimated average supplies moving into civilian consumption in the United Kingdom in 1946 Nutrients per head per day Calories … … … … … 2890 Protein—animal … … … … … 44.1 gm —vegetable … … … … … 46.0 gm —total … … … … … 90.1 gm Fat … … … … … 112.0 gm Carbohydrate … … … … … 381.1 gm Calcium … … … … … 1,043 mgm. Iron … … … … … 17.2 mgm. Vitamin A … … … … … 3,738 I.U. Ascorbic acid … … … … … 107.5 mgm. Thiamin … … … … … 1.88 mgm. Riboflavin … … … … … 2.00 mgm. Niacin … … … … … 17.3 mgm. 102W
TABLE.—Estimated average supplies of certain foods moving into civilian consumption in the United Kingdom in 1946 compared with the corresponding averages for 1934–1938. — Lb. per head per year. 1946 as percentage of 1934–1938 1934–1938. 1946 Milk, liquid 216.9 313.1 144 Milk, condensed (product weight) 12.3 6.7 54 Milk, dried (product weight) 1 6 2.2 138 Total milk liquid, condensed and dried (as milk solids) 32.0 42.9 134 Poultry and game (including rabbits) (edible weight) 6.1 3.3 54 Eggs, shell, dried and liquid (fresh egg equivalent) 24.5 21.2 87 Flour and Grain Products 209?8 240.8 115 All vegetables 107.4 118.6 110 Tea. 9.3 8.9 96 Cocoa (raw beans) 4.7 5.6 119 Bacon — — 50 All other meats — — 93 Butter — — 44 Fish — — 120 Coffee (raw beans). 0.7 1.5 214 Oils and fats excluding butter (fat content) 24.6 25.8 105 Tomatoes and all fruits (fresh equivalent) 141.5 102.1 72 Pulses and nuts (product weight) 9.6 6.9 71 Sugar including sugar in all home-produced manufactured foods. 103.9 74.6 72 Potatoes 176.0 283.6 161 The nutrient intake for 1946, compared with prewar, shows about 4 per cent. less calories;12½ per cent more total protein, but 3 per cent. less animal protein; 14 per cent. less fat; and about the same carbohydrate. This not very dissimilar quantity of food was in 1946 far more equitably distributed amongst the population than it used to be before the war. But this does not mean that the position is satisfactory The quantity and quality of food wh ch could be bought by large sections of our people before the war were far too low. We shall need to raise them substantially and as soon as possible in order to achieve a really satisfactory national diet.
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§ Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Food whether he will issue a table showing the present increase or decrease of the weekly average consumption of each of the principal items of foods compared with the figures for 1914–20 and 1938.
§ Dr. Edith Summerskill, pursuant to her reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 5th May, 1947, Vol. 437, c. 2], supplied the following information
WEEKLY CONSUMPTI0N A HEAD IN THE UNITED KINGD0M Commodity 1909–1913 1914 1918 lb. lb. lb. Cereals— Wheat and diluents as flour … … 4.28 4.23 4.80 Oatmeal … … 0.19 0.18 0.28 Tapioca, etc … … 0.08 0.07 0.07 Maize meal … … 0.05 0.04 0.07 Rice … … 0.13 0.13 0.20 Meat— Beef and veal including unenumerated … 1.18 1.19 0.89 Mutton and ham … … 0.56 0.50 0.28 Pork … … 0.24 0.23 0.07 Bacon and ham … … 0.34 0.34 0.46 Meat offals … … 0.06 0.05 0.03 Poultry, Eggs, etc— Poultry and game … … 0.05 0.04 0.04 Eggs … … 0.27 0.25 0.16 Rabbit … … 0.02 0.02 0.02 Fish— Herrings … … 0.15 0.17 0.21 Other fish (fresh) … … 0.60 0.53 0.25 Shell fish … … 0.01 0.01 0.01 Canned and Salted fish … … 0.03 0.06 0.07 Dairy Produce and Fats— Milk (fresh) … … 4.28 4.32 3.15 Butter … … 0.31 0.30 0.17 Cheese … … 0.15 0.14 0.12 Condensed milk (unsweetened) … … 0.01 0.01 0.04 Condensed milk (sweetened) … … 0.07 0.07 0.12 Margarine … … 0.11 0.14 0.22 Lard including imitation lard … … 0.11 0.11 0.15 Potatoes … … 3.67 4.29 5.26 Sugar, Tea, etc— Sugar … … 1.46 1.49 0.93 Cocoa … … 0.03 0.03 0.05 Tea … … 0.12 0.13 0.13 Coffee … … 0.01 0.01 0.02 It should be noted that the exact basis of these figures is unknown. For this reason and also because of changes in food habits between then and 1938 no comparisons could logically be made between these figures and those for 1938.
104WFigures for the years 1919 and 1920 and averages for 1914–20 are not available. In any event the averages for 1914–20 would be misleading as the food shortage in the 1914–18 war did not become acute until 1917. The following are averages for certain commodities for the years 1909–13 and corresponding figures for the years 1914 and 1918.
For the position before the second world war the year 1938 is not regarded as representative; a much better base is the average for 1934–38. Quoted below are the averages for certain foods in this period compared with the corresponding figures for the year 1946–47.
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WEEKLY CONSUMPTION A HEAD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1934–1938 AND 1946–1947. — 1934–1938 average. Year to June, 1947. Increase or decrease in June as per cent. of 1938–1938 average. lb. lb. Flour 3.74 4.21 + 12 Oatmeal 0.10 0.16 + 58 Carcase meat and offal (carcase weight) 1.91 1.55 - 19 Total meat including canned (carcase weight) 2.01 2.04 + 2 Bacon and ham 0.52 0.25 - 52 Fish fresh, frozen and cured 0.42 0.54 + 28 Shell eggs 0.42 0.23 - 44 Total eggs (fresh egg equivalent) 0.47 0.40 - 15 Liquid milk 4.17 6.02 + 44 Total milk liquid condensed and dried (as milk solids) 0.63 0.84 + 34 Cheese 0.17 0.18 + 4 Butter 0.48 0.21 - 56 Margarine 0.17 0.29 + 71 Lard and compound lard 0.18 0.14 - 23 Total fats (fat content) 0.87 0.64 - 26 Potatoes 3.38 5.54 + 64 Sugar including sugar in all home produced Manufactured food 2.00 1.54 - 23 Tea 0.18 0.17 - 4 Coffee 0.01 0.03 + 122 Cocoa 0.09 0.11 + 22