THE NATIONAL DIET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16749, 2 June 1922, Page 6

THE NATIONAL DIET.

LESS ENERGY CONSUMED.

AUSTRALIAN FIGURES. By Telegraph—Prose Association—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received June 2, 8.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 2. A pamphlet written by Mr Sawkins, the statist to the New South Wales Board of Trade, dealing with the national diet, shows that the average cansumption in New South Wales of the chief descriptions of food fell in energy value, per man per day from 3005 calories in 1911 to aji average of 2790 calories during the three years ended June, 1920. The fall was due in the most part to the decrease in the consumption of meat, which, according to the latest figures, is 40 per cent below the pre-war standard. The consumption of potatoes has fallen 42 per cent. This fall is largely the outcome of the high prices during the war time, and probably a considerable portion of the decrease has been made up by the consumption of other foods used in place of those mentioned. The statist calls attention to the deleterious effects of a restricted diet. According to the pamphlet, in 1913 Australia consumed 2731 b of meat annua-lly per head of the population. By 1917-18 the average had fallen to 1621 b. and by 1919-20 it had gone up again to 1731 b. The statist adds: “No doubt it has gone up further recently owing to the cheapening of meat, hut the habit of doing without it. which the war time produced, dies hard. Although the consumption of meat diminished enormously during the war. Australia is still one of the great meat-eating countries of the world.”