“OF GRAVE CONCERN”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26616, 12 November 1947, Page 5

“OF GRAVE CONCERN”

BRITAIN'S CALORY INTAKE

REDUCTION IN POTATO RATION Rec. 8 p.m. LONDON, Nov. 10. The average daily intake of calories after the reduction which Sir Stafford Cripps recently announced took into consideration the cut in potatoes resuling from rationing, said the Food Minister, Mr John Strachey, in the House of Commons. “ The level of calories quoted is a matter of grave concern,” he said. Replying to questions he said the consumption of potatoes in 1946 was just over 51b a head a week. The estimated deficiency of 20 per cent, in the crop had to fall largely on the domestic consumer and catering establishments because the Government had to provide for seed. Also in the early part of the year distribution had gone on at the old rate. Exports of potatoes to ex-enemy countries were stopped some time ago. The Government* hpped to import seed potatoes from Eire.

Mr S. Hastings (Lab.) asked whether many sedentary workers were getting less than 2700 calories a day. Mr Strachey: Oh, yes. The 2700 is the average figure. There are many sections of the population getting very much more than that; therefore there are many getting very much less. About 70 calories have been taken off through potato rationing. The reason for the potato shortage was that the Ministers of Food and Agriculture did not see that an adequate acreage was planted, declared Mr W. H. Butcher (Lib. Nat.) The acreage planted, he said, was only 1,332,000, the lowest since 1943, against an announced target of 1,400,000. He added that the black market in potatoes had already begun at prices two or three times the controlled figure, and the prices of other vegetables had also risen. Mr Strachey, replying, said the potato rationing was a very serious matter but the Government would have been failing in their elementary duty had they failed to impose it. It was a most unpopular and unpalatable step but it was necessary to take it in order to give a fair share to all householders and maintain supplies until the new crops were available. Dr Franklin Bicknell, who said in Mav that Britain was “dying from starvation,” said to-day (hat Britain's food situation was now suicidal. Commenting on Mr Strachey’s statement that 2700 calories was only-the average daily food intake over the whole population, Dr Bicknell said if the people ate all the vegetables they could stomach and consumed a large fish meal each day in addition to the rations, they would still be receiving 1000 calories a day fewer than the requirement for mental and physical fitness.

Reuter adds that Mr Strachey in the House of Commons acknowledged, in reply to a question, that the calory intake regarded as a mimimum for unemployed men in 1933 was 3386 a day. Dr Franklin Bicknell is a Harley Street dietitian. He made the statement that Britain was dying of starvation in an article in the Medical Press.