§ 12. Sir K. Thompsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average consumption per head in 1951 of the following foodstuffs, namely, bread, butter, sugar, tea, home-killed beef, mutton, pork, bacon, fish, milk, cheese, and potatoes; and what is the average consumption per head in 1964.
§ Mr. SoamesFood consumption levels are calculated on a calendar year basis. Our estimates for 1951 and 1963 are given in the table below.
(per head per annum) 1951 1963 (provisional) lb. lb. Flour (a) 203.6 162.7 Butter 14.6 19.3 Sugar, refined 95.0 112.5 Tea 8.1 9.5 Home-Killed beef 27.3 38.1 Mutton and lamb 15.4 23.4 Pork 4.5 21.9 Bacon and Ham 19.4 25.2 Fish (fresh, frozen and cured)(b) 22.0 16.8 Cheese 10.5 10.3 Potatoes 234.7 227.6 Pints Pints Milk (liquid)(c) 268 253 (a) Includes flour for bread-making. Overall figures of bread consumption are not available but average household consumption is estimated at 3½ lbs. per head per week in 1951 and 2¾ lbs. in 1963. (b) Wet fillet equivalent. (c) Consumption per head reached a postwar peak in 1951, declined to approximately 248 pints in 1957 but has since increased by about 5 pints per head. Over the 12 year period the consumption of cream has increased from 1 to about 20 equivalent pints per head per annum.