§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any information on the cost of an adequate diet, as defined in the White Paper The Health of the Nation, pp 20 and 52–54; and
Whether they will ask the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy to report on the minimum cost of an adequate diet.
§ Baroness CumberlegeThe Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) is an independent committee of experts whose function is to provide government with scientific advice on matters related to nutrition and health. There is an almost infinite number of ways of constructing diets, both healthy and unhealthy. Research undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, based on data from the National Food Survey, indicates that a healthy diet consistent with the dietary targets in the White Paper need not increase the cost of a diet.