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(iii) Economics of marketing, including processing and retail distribution, consumer needs, and ways in which the shopkeeper, trader, and farmer can be helped to meet these needs ; (iv) The relation of food production on the farm to market demand and nutritional requirements ; and engage in the dissemination of the information so obtained, and urge on Governments the need for education of the producer, the intermediary, and the consumer in the principles of good marketing, and in marketing technique, including processing and storage ; 2. That the Governments and authorities here represented take steps to ensure that producers and consumers are adequately protected against trade malpractices and against exploitation in the purchase and sale of food and other products of agricultural or marine origin, and commend general and specific measures to prevent confusion as to quality and country of origin ; and that the permanent organization above mentioned assist, if requested, Governments and authorities to this end, and, if appropriate, formulate international codes of trade practices.* XXIX. ADDITIONS TO AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKETING FACILITIES Whereas : 1. Many countries are lacking in adequate facilities for the preservation of essential foods for consumption throughout the year, and for the production, transport, and distribution of these foods to satisfy nutritional needs ; 2. The destruction and disorganization of marketing facilities resulting from the war will make this problem particularly acute in countries which are the victims of hostilities ; 3. Technological developments in food preservation, processing, and transport have been accelerated by the war and give promise of contributing materially to the solution of these problems ; The United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture Recommends — 1. That the Governments and authorities here represented take steps to secure the provision of adequate processing, transportation, and distribution facilities required for improving the nutritional levels of their populations ; and that the permanent organization recommended in Resolution II study the technical, scientific, and economic factors involved, with particular reference to developments during the war, arrange for the pooling of knowledge thus acquired, and give all possible assistance to the Governments and authorities in realizing these objectives! ; 2. That steps be taken by each country to achieve full utilization of important new technological developments in food preservation, transportation, and marketing, including -especially dehydration, freezing, and ocean and air transportation J ; 3. That the permanent organization above mentioned take steps to obtain, collate, and disseminate information regarding conditions of marketing, processing, and storage facilities in all countries, including those devastated by war, with particular reference to any increased facilities needed and to the rehabilitation of countries devastated by war, in order to promote the expansion of marketing facilities in a carefully planned rather than a haphazard manner§; 4. That Governments examine transport deficiencies, both internally and in connection with export and import trade, which may be hindering the development of adequate and efficient marketing of foodstuffs and other agricultural and marine products and take such steps as may be necessary to rectify deficiencies ; and that any international body concerned with international transport assist to this endjf, XXX. INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY AND REDUCING THE COST OF MARKETING Whereas : 1. The maintenance of food-consumption among the peoples of the world at levels sufficiently high to satisfy minimum health requirements calls for the provision of greater quantities of better food at reasonable prices; 2. Except in some countries where consumers largely produce their own food-supplies, a substantial part of the total cost of food to the consumer consists of marketing costs (including the costs of assembly, grading, inland and sea transport, storage, wholesale and retail distribution), processing costs, and the rewards of enterprise ;

* There is general approval in all* countries of legislative and regulatory measures designed to protect both consumers and producers from exploitation arising from unfair trade practices, but some Governments have been slow to act in such cases. t Tile methods of attaining these objectives will vary in different countries in accordance with circumstances and may include action by Governments to establish in each country central organizations responsible for the work of carrying out these objectives by means of appropriate legislation designed to assist the production, processing, and distribution of the products of their oconomy, using the most up-to-date technological methods adapted to the conditions peculiar to each country. Among the objectives of this action are better utilization of foods not consumed in fresh form, the avoidance of loss of the nutritive value of perishable foods, the prevention of waste, and the stabilization of marketing conditions to induce so far as possible an adequate and even flow of foods to consumers. Special attention should be given to the establishment of local markets, which must be built up hand in hand with increased local production of protective foods to ensure the commercial success of both production and marketing. t The war has speeded up the development of new methods of preserving perishable foods, and of facilities for ocean and air-cargo transportation, which will have very important effects upon post-war national and international trade in foodstuffs. Many countries by means of air transport will be able to draw upon much wider areas of production for their supplies of the protective foods in concentrated form, and to transport and distribute such foods to presently inaccessible areas and among sectors of the national populations now having inadequate diets. § Much rebuilding and readjustment of plants and personnel required for the marketing of foodstuffs will be necessary after the war. This offers an opportunity not only to meet quickly the immediate post-war needs, but also to build a marketing system adapted to modern needs, with particular reference to the attainment of increased consumption of essential foods. This will require foresight, planning, and action designed to forestall haphazard reconstruction based on temporary expediency rather than long-term efficiency and adequacy. || Transportation charges frequently absorb a large or even a prohibitive part of the price of products, and ocean shipping or internal transportation charges may be so high as to prevent the interchange of products which is necessary if consumers are to be adequately supplied. The provision of transportation and storage services under present arrangements awaits the development of adequate volume of production, yet this volume cannot be built up without the transportation and other services necessary to encourage it. These difficulties cannot be solved by individual or private initiative alone; and Governments should assume the responsibility by adequate action to overcome them .

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