TOO MUCH SUGAR

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 223, 1 September 1936, Page 2

TOO MUCH SUGAR

MR. HERRING'S CONTENTION. Children Should Be Encouraged To Eat Fruit. HEALTH ESTIMATES. Excessive consumption of sugar was strongly condemned by Mr. H. E. Herring (Gov., Mid-Canterbury) in the House of Representatives when the Health Department estimates were under consideration. ' ! .The fact that the Maoris had lived in this country for centuries before the ar- j rival of the white people and never had teeth trouble proved that it was diet that was the cause of the trouble with the teeth of the people to-day, Mr. Herring declared. Some years ago the consumption ,of sugar per capita was about 181 b, and now it had gone up to over 301 b.

"Directly a new school is built," he added, "a sweet shop is built within fifty or a hundred yards of the gate and the sweet shop prospers exceedingly. I think the supply of sweets should be cut down very much for adults and a great deal more for children." Afternoon tea consumption was also very prevalent in the schools, said Mr. Herring, who added that he considered that every encouragement should be given to the consumption of fruit, Mr. H. G. Dickie (Nat., Patea): Quite right.

When Mr. Herring finished his speech Mr. J. A. Lee (Parliamentary Under-

secretary) cc.used a burst of laughter by walking across to him with a bag of sweets and offering him one which Mr. Herring smilingly accepted. Mr. Dickie, the next speaker, said that it was a reproach to the people of New Zealand that too many of them were suffering from teeth troubles. It could not be due to climatic conditions because the old Maoris had wonderful sets of teeth. Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) said that Mr. Herring had raised an important question of sweets versus fruit. He thought a very good suggestion was that automatic vending machines for apples and oranges should be installed in the schools.

Though there had been a good deal of laughter while Mr. Herring was speaking, Mr. Broadfoot added, he believed that Mr. Herring had struck at a very 'great truth. The Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash: Hear, hear. Mr. Broadfoot said he would be glad if something could be done to convert c-hilclren's desires from sweets to fruit. The Minister of Health and Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, agreed that Mr. Herring had struck a very important note in regard to dietetics. There was no dcubt that a super-abundance of sugar had a very bad effect upon health, and in his opinion it was the duty of the Health Department, the medical profession, and the Education Department to make facts known about health without fear or favour whether it stated commercial interests or not. |

Fruit was very essential, but very often the price was appalling. All medical authorities agreed that fruit was absolutely essential to health, particularly in the case of children, and he was grateful to Mr Herring for bringing the matter to his attention and also to those who had supported Mr. Herring. Referring to South Australian oranges the Minister said that oranges _ were essential to the health of children and should be available to children of the poorest parents, but many could not get access to them because the price was prohibitive. What family could afford oranges at threepence each? he asked.

The Minister said he believed that representations .should be made 1o the South Australian authorities regarding the price at which the oranges were sold. The Health Department was fully alive to the importance of fruit in the dietary of the people and whatever needed to be dene would be done. "I place milk as more important than fruit," he continued, "and once the problem of a supply of milk to school children is tackled and organised and in operation, wo will have a very good case to see if by some other means the children can be guaranteed an apple a day."