Abstract
ONE of the remarks made in the article in NATURE of May 11 on my survey of the “Food Value of Great Britain's Food Supply” is certainly justified, namely, “the value for protein seems low.” It is too low. This has arisen from taking an analysis for wheat flour in which the protein was 7.9 per cent., whereas it should be, more correctly, something like 10.7 per cent. Making an allowance for this difference increases the daily protein ration per man by 10.4 grams and brings it to 112.1 grams instead of 101.7. For a similar reason the carbohydrate should be reduced from 587.12 grams per man per day to 580.7 grams. Whether the fat should be reduced depends on the analysis adopted for the different kinds of meat. A recalculation, however, adopting different analyses, and perhaps, on the whole, more accurate ones, makes no material difference in the daily ration “as purchased.” It certainly affords no ground for reduction; on the contrary, it shows an increase of 1.9 grams per man per day.
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THOMPSON, W. National Food Supply and Nutritional Value. Nature 97, 261 (1916). https://doi.org/10.1038/097261a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/097261a0
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