BRITISH NUTRITION IN WARTIME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 3 January 1940, Page 2

BRITISH NUTRITION IN WARTIME

VAST FOOD STORES AVAILABLE [British Official Wireless] RUGBY, Ist January. Sir John Boyd Orr, the distinguished nutrition authority, broadcasting to-day on “the people’s food in wartime,” said, “We are a better fed and a healthier nation to-day than we were at the beginning of the last war.” Referring to the position of the supply of milk —most important of protective foods —Sir John Orr said, “We have a great surplus of liquid milk going for manufacturing purposes which might well be diverted to human consumption, and we are producing enough milk to permit an increase of 20 per cent, in consumption and yet have a considerable surplus.” Speaking of two vital foodstuffs which Britain has had to continue to import—wheat and fat —Sir John recalled that Canada has had a bumper wheat harvest and has twice as much as the whole of Germany. Thus Britain can obtain plenty of wheat by the safest and shortest sea route. Also the Ministry of Food has built up an enormous store of fat.

Sir John Orr contended, “We could cut down our imports of wheat and fat, which would be only a mere fraction of the total imports in peacetime, and still have a national diet which would keep everybody healthy and physically fit.”