Abstract
IN his Chadwick Public Lecture delivered on May 29, Dr. John Boyd Orr discussed the national food supply and public health. He stated that, if necessary, Great Britain, which at present imports about half of its foodstuffs, could increase production sufficiently to become self-supporting. Between 1913 and 1928, the world's food production increased by 16 per cent, whereas the population of the world increased by only 10 per cent. But the amount of food a person can eat is limited, and in the case of some products, notably wheat, production has outrun consumption. In 1932, the world's requirement in the international wheat market was 525 million bushels, whereas the exportable surplus of the great wheat-producing countries was 1,105 million bushels. The problem with regard to the supply of certain foodstuffs is now, not how to secure a sufficient supply, but rather how to dispose of the surplus, which is encumbering the world economic system. Governments are attempting, through international conferences, to evolve schemes to limit production.
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Food Supply and Public Health. Nature 133, 827–828 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/133827c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/133827c0