W. H. SEBRELL 



responsibility was accepted, not only by the representatives of the 

 United States, but also by those of forty-three other nations at the 

 United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture. This is a 

 great step forward, but it is still a long way from transforming the 

 ideal into actuality. It is important for this country and the world 

 that the objectives of the United Nations as regards nutrition should be 

 recognized and put into practice in every state and community in this 

 country. The implications are tremendous. A great expansion in 

 agriculture along selected food lines would be necessary to meet this 

 need. In 1940, Gavin, Stiebeling, and Farioletti (1) estimated that, 

 if the average consumption of protective foods could be raised to the 

 level of families whose food intake was rated as "good" from the 

 standpoint of nutrition, the increase in national consumption of milk 

 would be 20%; butter, 15%; eggs, 35%; tomatoes and citrus fruit, 70%; 

 and leafy green and yellow vegetables, 100%. That much of our 

 dietary inadequacy is due to lack of purchasing power is clearly indi- 

 cated by extensive data showing that it is the members of the lowest 

 income families who have the greatest deficiencies. It is also indicated 

 in the changes occurring in our food consumption during the war. 

 Stiebeling (5) estimates that, with the increased power to buy due to 

 high employment and better wages, at least one family out of every 

 seven which had a poor diet in 1936 was able to obtain a fair or good 

 diet in 1941. 



What increased purchasing power will do is also shown by the 

 fact that rationing became necessary during the war although the amounts 

 of food available for civilians were greater than ever before. This has been 

 true of all foods except sugar and syrups, coffee, tea and cocoa, and 

 fats and oils. The increases in 1943 as compared with prewar levels 

 were about as follows: milk and milk products 17%; meat 6%; 

 eggs 16%; potatoes and sweet potatoes 9%; pulses 22%; tomatoes 

 and citrus fruit 17%; leafy green and yellow vegetables 9%; and 

 other vegetables 5%. It must be remembered that these figures 

 represent classes of foods and that there were decreases in certain 

 selected, popular food items such as beef and canned fruits. In terms 

 of nutrients, the increases are even more amazing: animal protein, 

 ^; vegetable protein, 3%; calcium, 15%; iron, 14%; vitamin A, 

 ^; ascorbic acid, 7%; thiamin, 37%; riboflavin, 18%; and niacin, 

 14% (2). Full employment and higher than usual wages made many 



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