HC Deb 11 February 1948 vol 447 cc71-2W
Mr. S. Marshall

asked the Minister of Food on what grounds the Middlesex County Council have been advised by the Ministry to use an inferior quality of gelatine in their hospitals when ample supplies of high class gelatine are available.

Mr. Strachey

Supplies of high class gelatine are still very short. Middlesex County Council applied for permission to increase their usage of gelatine at a time when supplies were insufficient to meet demands for those types of manufactured food in which it is essential that gelatine should be used. There was available, however, a low melting point gelatine which is, in the main, unsuitable for food manufacture, but is suitable for domestic and catering use and is sold principally through retail grocers. It was suggested to the Middlesex County Council that they would be permitted to increase their usage provided they took this particular gelatine, as the supply position of higher melting point gelatine for food manufacturing purposes would then be unaffected. This low melting point gelatine has been tested in the Ministry of Food kitchens and was found to be quite satisfactory provided that the directions for use were followed.