FOOD 
PROSPECTS, 
for 
1947 
New York State Joint Legislative Committee On Nutrition 
Legislative Document (1947) No. 7 NEW YORK STATE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE 
ON NUTRITION 
Senator Thomas C. Desmond, Chairman 
Assemblywoman Gladys E. Banks, Vice-Chairman 
Assemblyman Myron D. Albro, Secretary 
Senator Seymour Halpern 
Senator Thomas F. Campbell 
"'Senator Roy H. Rudd 
"Assemblyman Frank J. Sellmayer 
* Assemblyman William J. A. Glancy 
Ex-Officio Members—Senator Benjamin F. Feinberg, President Fro- 
Tem of the Senate; Speaker Oswald D. Heck, of the Assembly; Senator 
Elmer F. Quinn, Minority Leader of the Senate, Assemblyman Irving 
M. Ives, Majority Leader of the Assembly; Assemblyman Irwin Stein- 
gut, Minority Leader of the Assembly; Senator Arthur II. Wicks, 
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance; Assemblyman D. Mal- 
lory Stephens, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Ways and 
Means. 
Committee Staff—Director, Albert J. Abrams; Research Associates, 
George A. Yaeger, William Davidson, John A. Ruskowski; Office Staff, 
Helen Ernest, Paul Jones, William Seheidler, Lawrence S. Conkling, 
Edna Weidkam. 
*No longer a member of the Committee for he was not re-elected 
on November 6, 1946. 
** Assemblyman Lee B. Mai Her replaced Assemblyman Irving M. 
Ives as Majority Leader on January 8, 1947. Introduction 
Thomas C. Desmond 
Chairman, New York State Joint Legislative 
Committee on Nutrition 
There are fewer hazardous oc- 
cupations than forecasting 
food prospects. The weather 
man has a particular fondness for 
upsetting such prognostications. 
And few are endowed with such 
keen foresight as to be able to pre- 
dict accurately the income of our 
people or the impact of exports on 
our consumption. 
Yet, in order to evaluate nutri- 
tional programs for 1947, it is 
necessary that we know what we 
may have available in food produc- 
tion and in what direction food 
prices will go. To aid us in obtain- 
ing these essential data, three brave 
souls, armed by years of experience 
and analysis, have ventured to give 
us a pre-view of food prospects for 
1947, They have given us as accu- 
rate a picture as is possible. 
The three following chapters 
were originally prepared as ad- 
dresses for presentation at the 
December 11, 1946, public hearing 
of our Committee. Because of the 
importance of the subject matter 
and its timeliness, it was decided 
to publish them immediately with- 
out waiting for their inclusion in 
the larger report of our Committee 
which is now being prepared. 
This thin pamphlet does not at- 
tempt to present the nutritional 
problems of 1947. But we do not 
wish to overlook the opportunity to 
mention that within the broad peri- 
meter of food production outlined 
in this pamphlet, we face in 1947: 
a crisis in our school lunch pro- 
gram; 
an urgent need for an expanded 
maternal and infant nutrition 
program; 
a serious demand for a special 
nutritional program for the 
aged; and 
a critical need for extending 
“enrichment” legislation to 
cover many cheap, basic 
foods. 
On the brighter side of the pic- 
ture, an aspect emphasized by Dr. 
William C. Ockey, Mr. Paul S. 
Willis, and Mr. H. H. Rathbun, in 
the following chapters, it is fairly 
certain that with the aid of a bene- 
ficent weather man and high em- 
ployment and payrolls, our people 
will continue to eat better than 
they did during pre-war days. 
1 CONTENTS 
Page 
Food rn 1947 by WILLIAM C. OCKEY 3 
Grocery Outlook for 1947 by pall s. WILLIS 11 
Milk Prospects for 1947 by H. H. rathbun 17 Food In 1947 
William C. Ockey 
Associate Director, Food Distribution Programs Branch 
Production and Marketing Administration 
United States Department of Agriculture 
Food, like the weather, is al- 
ways a good subject of con- 
versation. Fortunately, un- 
like the weather, something can be 
done about food — and there is 
much to be done. No one wants to 
go back to the period of ‘ ‘ too much 
farm production — too little food 
consumption.’’ Farmers do not 
want it—the food trade does not 
want it—certainly, consumers do 
not want it. 
The United States Department 
of Agriculture has long regarded 
improved levels of nutrition as one 
of its fields of activity. In the final 
analysis, the farmer’s job is not 
merely to grow food but to feed 
people—that is his responsibility. 
But with this responsibility goes 
opportunity, for the better fed 
Americans are, the wider will be 
the farmer’s market, and the higher 
will be the returns for his labor. 
For more than 50 years, the De- 
partment has carried on research 
programs in nutrition and has 
spread the knowledge gained from 
that research through its educa- 
tional activities. In more recent 
years, these programs have been 
supplemented by more direct action 
against under-consumption of food 
through distribution activities such 
as the school lunch program. 
We have come through the war 
and the critical world famine pe- 
riod immediately succeeding it in 
remarkably good shape as far as 
food is concerned. It is true, our 
food supply was affected, but it was 
generally a mater of inconvenience 
rather than actual hardship. Many 
families ate more and better food 
than ever before; others ate less 
steak, bacon, and butter than be- 
fore but they were well fed; some, 
of course, were caught in the 
squeeze of fixed income and' rising 
prices. On the whole, Americans 
ate more food than before the war, 
and this larger supply was of 
higher quality and more uni- 
formly distributed. 
Prospects for ’47 
What lies in store for 1947 ? 
What are the chances of maintain- 
ing the wartime gains we made 
nutritionwise ? First, let us look at 
our production plans. National 
farm goals, recently suggested by 
the Department of Agriculture, 
call for another year of top pro- 
duction in 1947. Actually, the vol- 
ume of production requested is 
probably somewhat larger than is 
consistent with the soundest pro- 
gram of land use and soil conserva- 
tion. Yet the demands for our food 
are so great, there is no alternative. 
Top production is planned in order 
to meet the strong domestic de- 
mand, the continuing requirements 
of war-devastated areas for cer- 
tain of our farm products, and the 
urgent need to rebuild reserve 
stocks. 
The suggested goals call for 
larger sugar and oil-bearing crops 
to help alleviate the current short- 
3 age of these two commodities. Sug- 
gested acreage for potatoes is re- 
duced from the 1946 level, for in- 
creasing yields are making it pos- 
sible to produce the needed volume 
with an acreage considerably smal- 
ler than that in prewar years. The 
goals also call for about 1 billion 
more pounds of milk and about 1.5 
billion pounds more meat than will 
be produced this year. 
Very briefly, those are some of 
the highlights of our food produc- 
tion plans. They are based upon 
our anticipated requirements — 
with a margin of safety for unfa- 
vorable weather or lowered yields. 
What will these production plans 
mean in terms of food supplies at 
retail stores? 
In discussing 1947 prospects, I 
think it is well to first point out the 
unknowns which will have a con- 
siderable bearing on the quantities 
of food available next year and the 
adequacy of those supplies. 
Three Major Varieties 
First, there is the weather. Dur- 
ing the past few years we have been 
blessed with remarkable weather 
during our growing seasons. 
Whether our good fortune will 
hold for still another year is any 
man’s guess. While we have al- 
lowed a margin of safety for this 
factor in our production goals, all 
we can do is to base our plans on 
average growing conditions. Bad 
weather can* make for short crops 
all along the line or can affect some 
particular goal. On the other hand, 
especially good weather could put 
us over the top with something to 
spare. 
Second, the volume and the va- 
riety of foods that will be exported 
from this country is still not defi- 
nitely known. During 1946 much 
of the international food shipments 
has been on a non-commercial 
basis. This will no longer be true 
in 1947, with the lend-lease pro- 
gram over and UNRRA’s activities 
confined to the Far East, and those 
only for three months. Thus, the 
purchase of food by foreign coun- 
tries will be dependent upon the 
availability of foreign exchange 
and the urgency of their import re- 
quirements for nonfood items, such 
as construction materials and ma- 
chinery. In addition, the shortage 
of rail transportation facilities 
here and abroad may slow down the 
movement of food overseas. On the 
whole, it appears that our food 
exports will be smaller in 1947 than 
in 1946. 
The third major unknown is in- 
come. The level of consumer in- 
comes will directly affect the ade- 
quacy of available supplies. The 
adequacy of supplies can be judged 
by several standards. Supplies may 
be large or small in relation to 
physical needs, in relation to his- 
torical consumption levels, or in 
relation to market demands. Here 
I am measuring adequacy of sup- 
plies by this latter yardstick — 
market demands. Income directly 
affects consumer demand for food. 
Thus, a sharp drop in consumer in- 
comes would alter considerably any 
current evaluation of 1947 food 
prospects—particularly in terms of 
the quality and kinds of foods that 
would be taken. 
So, surrounded with those com- 
fortable safeguards, I shall attempt 
to give you the highlights of the 
1947 food picture as we now see it. 
For 1947 as a whole, the supply 
of meat available may be some- 
what larger than that of this year. 
4 Marketings should be much more 
orderly—without the “feast and 
famine” periods experienced this 
year. While this prospective sup- 
ply will be large compared with 
average prewar consumption 
levels, it should be readily ab- 
sorbed in a market backed by a 
strong consumer demand through- 
out most of 1947. Beef, particu- 
larly the more preferred cuts, 
should be in larger supply in 1947, 
while lamb and probably pork may 
be somewhat smaller than in 1946. 
Although currently more plenti- 
ful, during the spring and summer 
of 1947 pork products will not be 
as plentiful as in the same period 
in 1946. 
When planning the family menu, 
homemakers will be able to count 
on plentiful supplies of fresh and 
frozen fish in 1947. However, 
canned fish will still be short by 
prewar standards. At least until 
late in the year, canned salmon will 
be particularly scarce because of 
an exceptionally small pack; can- 
ned tuna fish should be more plenti- 
ful. 
1947 supplies of poultry, a major 
main-dish item, are expected to be 
about the same as in 1946. Poultry 
consumption increased sharply 
during the war years, partly as a 
result of higher incomes and partly 
because of the relative scarcity of 
meats. On a per-capita basis, we 
probably will consume about 25 per 
cent more chicken and 70 per cent 
more turkey in 1947 than we did in 
the immediate prewar years. 
Turning from dinner to break- 
fast menus, here are the highlights 
on 1947 egg supplies; Supplies of 
fresh eggs will be somewhat smaller 
in 1947 than in 1946. Higher re- 
tail prices than in 1946 are antici- 
pated for at least the first part of 
the year, with the possibility of 
some consumer resistance develop- 
ing, and with some decrease in the 
number of eggs consumed. Some 
purchases may be necessary for 
price support purposes, depending 
upon the size of exports. 
Higher retail prices are ex- 
pected to result in a reduction in 
the quantity of milk consumed in 
fluid form in 1947, but consump- 
tion will remain considerably high- 
er than in prewar years. On the 
other hand, domestic consumption 
of some manufactured dairy prod- 
ucts, notably evaporated milk and 
cheese, may set new records in 1947. 
With a reduction in milk and cream 
consumption in fluid form, larger 
supplies are expected to be avail- 
able for butter production. Never- 
theless, unless consumers’ incomes 
decline substantially more than 
anyone now contemplates, butter 
supplies will fall far short of pre- 
war levels and prices will be high. 
Ample supplies of fresh fruits 
and vegetables are expected next 
year, and in canned form, they will 
be available not only in larger vol- 
ume but also in better variety. An- 
other record crop of most citrus 
fruits is now coming to market and 
supplies of apples are much larger 
than the exceptionally small sup- 
plies of the 1946 season. 1947 also 
should bring greater imports of 
bananas and pineapples. 
The two foods currently in short- 
est supply are fats and sugar. For 
both of these commodities we have 
always depended upon imports to 
supplement our domestic produc- 
tion. In the years immediately pre- 
ceding the war, imports accounted 
5 for approximately 15 per cent of 
the fats and oils used in this coun- 
try and 70 per cent of the sugar 
consumed was produced outside of 
the continental United States. 
War and its accompanying de- 
struction sharply reduced the world 
production of both fats and sugar. 
Eecovery has been slow. Shortages 
here at home are part of this world- 
wide shortage and have been high- 
lighted by the higher level of do- 
mestic demand. At the present time, 
we cannot see an early end to the 
shortage in either commodity. 
During 1946 civilian supplies of 
food fats are expected to total about 
40 pounds per-capita, compared 
with a prewar average of 48 
pounds. Current indications point 
to only a slight increase in civilian 
supplies next year. Imports are ex- 
pected to be larger next year and 
exports will be reduced. However, 
some decline in domestic produc- 
tion is in prospect during the year 
beginning October, 1946, and it will 
not be possible, as was done in 1946, 
to further reduce stocks in order to 
increase supplies available for dis- 
tribution. 
Continued rationing of sugar has 
proved necessary under the impact 
of record high domestic demand 
and a world production consider- 
ably below that of prewar years. 
If sugar were not rationed, it is 
estimated that U. S. civilians would 
have consumed approximately 8 
million tons of sugar this year com- 
pared with the 5.6 million tons 
available. A continuation of this 
high level of demand is expected 
throughout the greater part of 
1947. On the other hand, increases 
in domestic supplies above the cur- 
rent level are not likely until the 
Spring of 1947. Even then sup- 
plies will fall considerably short 
of meeting all domestic require- 
ments, unless substantial increases 
in prices or reductions in incomes 
should curtail demand. 
These highlights of 1947 pros- 
pects indicate that the quantities of 
food available for civilian con- 
sumption are expected to continue 
at the high level reached this year, 
which was 15 per cent above the 
average for the prewar years 1935- 
39. The nutritive value of this 
prospective supply will continue 
high even though a slight decrease 
in calcium and riboflavin is indi- 
cated because of the expected re- 
duction in the consumption of fluid 
milk and cream. 
The war years have given us a 
real appreciation of the tremend- 
ous capacity of this country to pro- 
duce and to consume food. Farm- 
ers, faced with a large market, pay- 
ing profitable prices, licked the 
problem of too little labor and ma- 
chinery. Consumers, working for 
good wages, bought more food than 
ever before and wanted even larger 
supplies. Farmers prospered and 
Americans were better fed. The job 
we all face is to see that in the post- 
war years the same opportunities to 
produce and to consume continue. 
The Market for Food 
There is no question as to our 
ability to produce tremendous 
quantities of food. We have the re- 
sources, the tools, and the techni- 
ques. The real question is whether 
it will be profitable to continue to 
produce the food we need for a 
truly high level of nutrition in this 
country. In other words, what will 
be the market for food? 
6 Underconsumption of food and 
poor nutrition can be traced to 
three general causes: (1) lack of 
sufficient purchasing power; (2) 
lack of knowledge as to the import- 
ance of good diets or the ways to 
achieve them; and (3) inadequate 
food processing and distribution 
facilities, which in part means a 
large part of the food dollar must 
be spent for services rather than 
for food and in part the waste of 
food particularly during periods of 
peak supply. If we are to attack 
underconsumption of food, if we 
are to improve nutritional levels, 
we must carry the fight on all three 
fronts. One of the most heartening 
developments is the growing recog- 
nition of the need for full employ- 
ment and high level of purchasing 
power. The ability of our domestic 
market to take up the slack in food 
demands when export outlets de- 
crease will depend, in large mea- 
sure, on the numbers gainfully em- 
ployed and the kind of wages they 
are receiving. 
Yet full employment is no pan- 
acea—it will not, by itself, insure 
that all will be well fed. A study 
made by the Department’s Bureau 
of Agricultural Economies showed 
that even under conditions of full 
employment in 1950, food consump- 
tion would not be at levels that 
would provide a good adequate diet 
for every family. Operating within 
the framework of full employment, 
agricultural and nutrition pro- 
grams should be directed toward 
reaching that portion of the food 
market that remains untapped. Un- 
der less favorable economic condi- 
tions, they must help counteract 
the reductions in the demand for 
food that accompanies declining in- 
come levels. 
School Lunch 
One of the programs now attack- 
ing underconsumption of food 
traceable to all three causes is the 
School Lunch Program. Born in 
the depression years, Federal aid 
for school lunches has continued 
for the past 11 years. With the 
passage of legislation authorizing 
the program on a permanent basis, 
Congress has provided for better 
long-range program planning and 
greater Federal-state cooperation. 
New features are already being 
added to the program. This fall, 16 
schools, in areas where supplies of 
fresh milk are not available in ade- 
quate supply, will receive supplies 
of dry skim milk to use as a bever- 
age and in cooking. If this innova- 
tion proves successful, it might well 
be extended—not only to other 
schools but also for other commodi- 
ties. Thus, the lunch program 
could directly attack particular 
food deficiencies resulting from re- 
gional supply problems or food 
habits. 
Ability to pay is not a prere- 
quisite for a child’s receiving a 
hot midday lunch at school. 
Thus, to the extent that the chil- 
dren of families who can afford 
little or no money for lunches 
participate in the program, the 
total demand for food is in- 
creased. Even during the im- 
mediate period, a surprising pro- 
portion of our families do not 
earn enough to buy the kinds of 
foods needed for good diets. 
7 Thus, the school lunch program 
results in a significant improve- 
ment in the diets of many chil- 
dren, especially in relation to 
their consumption of protective 
foods such as milk, fruits, and 
meats. 
It is an old axiom that we learn 
best by doing. Perhaps this is why 
the School Lunch Program is such 
as effective weapon in combating 
underconsumption traceable to in- 
sufficient knowledge. When chil- 
dren are introduced to fruits, vege- 
tables and milk for lunch they soon 
notice the absence of these items on 
the family dinner table. The edu- 
cational phase of the School Lunch 
Program is not idle talk or wishful 
thinking. Instance after instance 
can be cited, as all of you know who 
have been close to the program. 
The third cause of undercon- 
sumption the School Lunch Pro- 
gram attacks is, perhaps, the one 
that has received the least atten- 
tion—the lack of facilities. Fre- 
quently, the cause of skimpy 
lunches is not the lack of money or 
the lack of knowledge, it is just be- 
cause there are no facilities to pro- 
vide well-balanced, complete meals. 
The new school lunch legislation 
provides funds to help schools to ex- 
pand and improve school facilities 
for preparing more nutritious, 
more attractive lunches. Many of 
you can remember the lunches you 
carried to school, a couple of sand- 
wiches, a piece of cake, and perhaps 
an apple or orange. Now your chil- 
dren eat meat, vegetables, bread 
and butter, salads, fruit desserts 
and drink milk because facilities 
are available to prepare such meals. 
This means better nutrition, a big- 
ger market for our farm products, 
more food consumed. 
While income and food purchas- 
ing power is of major importance 
in a family’s ability to eat well, it 
is not the only factor. Food studies 
have shown that many high-income 
families do not eat well; that there 
is great variation in the quality of 
the diets among families who spend 
the same amount of money for food. 
Part of the explanation lies in the 
lack of knowledge concerning the 
importance of good diets to good 
health, part in lack of knowledge as 
to the ways to achieve good diets, 
part in sheer indifference. 
The answer to this lack of knowl- 
edge, to this indifference, is a -well- 
correlated educational program. 
Certainly, the sharp increases in 
the consumption of fluid milk that 
accompanied larger wartime in- 
comes was due, in no small measure, 
to the thorough job that had been 
done in educating people concern- 
ing the place of well-balanced diets. 
We need continued research to in- 
crease our understanding of nutri- 
tion principles. But such work may 
be in vain unless we have an effec- 
tive means of spreading the knowl- 
edge gained to every homemaker. 
Perhaps what we need for urban 
homemakers is the kind of nutri- 
tion education programs carried on 
among rural families by the home 
demonstration agents of the Exten- 
sion Service. 
Food Distribution 
In my opinion, perhaps the most 
neglected aspect of our work in im- 
proving nutritional levels—where 
8 the least attention has been fo- 
cussed—is the effect of inefficient 
food distribution facilities. While 
this country undoubtedly has one 
of the finest food distribution and 
merchandising systems, we all know 
that it is inadequate and outmoded 
in many respects and that ineffi- 
ciencies exist. Inefficiencies are 
costly. They add to the price of 
food, thereby limiting consumption 
among many groups; they result 
in the waste of good food, espe- 
cially during periods of seasonal 
abundance; they affect the nutri- 
tive quality of the food we eat, 
particularly the food available in 
large urban centers distant from 
producing centers. 
I do not mean to imply that im- 
provements in this field have been 
entirely neglected. Federal and 
State agencies and industry groups 
have long recognized the problem 
and have made tremendous im- 
provements. What I do want to em- 
phasize is that there is much more 
to be done. 
The wartime growth in on-the- 
job feeding programs has brought 
better nutrition to millions of our 
industrial workers. With facilities 
available, the midday meal changes 
from a hastily eaten sandwich, 
washed down with-a cup of coffee, 
to a complete well-balanced meal. 
A well rounded industrial feeding 
program should not stop at just 
developing facilities offering good 
food. Nutrition education, particu- 
larly programs to improve the 
worker’s selection of food, should 
be included to combat indifference 
and poor food habits. 
In order to help avoid the waste 
of good food during periods of 
abundance the Department of 
Agriculture, in cooperation with 
the food trades, carries on special 
merchandising programs. This is 
known as the Abundant Foods 
Marketing Program. We have just 
completed a program to help in- 
crease consumption of the abund- 
ant supplies of potatoes now avail- 
able. Under this program atten- 
tion is directed to commodities 
available in heaviest supply, to the 
food values gained by buying when 
they are most abundant. The pro- 
gram has its educational side, for 
nutrition facts are stressed— 
proper cooking methods empha- 
sized. To the extent that we can 
increase purchase and use of 
abundant foods, and thereby pre- 
vent the waste of good foods in 
market gluts, we are helping to see 
that available food supplies make 
their maximum contributions to the 
quality of the American diet. 
I am sure that we will see more 
and more activity aimed at broad 
improvements in food distribution 
facilities. One of the main reasons 
for this greater activity is the pas- 
sage of the Agricultural Research 
and Marketing Service Act in 
August of this year. In that act 
Congress has declared that a sound, 
efficient, privately operated system 
for marketing agricultural produce 
is essential to the welfare, pros- 
perity and health of the Nation. 
The act authorizes research to im- 
prove processing and marketing 
techniques, to lower marketing 
costs, and to develop and improve 
quality standards. In addition, it 
calls for consumer education pro- 
grams aimed at increasing food 
consumption and fostering more 
effective utilization of available 
supplies. Its goal is to make it 
9 advances along the road that leads 
4 4 possible for the full production of 
American farms to be disposed of 
usefully, economically, profitably, 
and in an orderly manner”. 
Funds have not yet at the time of 
this report, been appropriated un- 
der this act. When they are, I am 
confident that we will have real 
to a truly high level of nutrition in 
this country. We know that we 
have the tools and the know-how to 
produce the volume of food re- 
quired for-good diets. We must be 
certain that we are able to get this 
tremendous production distributed 
and used, if we are to be well fed. 
10 Grocery Outlook for 1947 
President, Grocery Manufacturers of America Inc. 
Paul S. Willis 
THE SUBJECT assigned me 
. . . “The Grocery Outlook 
for 1947“ ... is an inter- 
esting one, and with so many fac- 
tors influencing the food situation, 
it is also a very difficult one. One 
always takes the risk of sticking 
his neck out when making predic- 
tions into the future, and any at- 
tempt at doing it now is sticking 
the old neck out a pretty long way. 
When I appeared before this 
body on December 13, 1945, I pre- 
dicted that civilian food supplies 
for 1946 would be sufficient to give 
Americans 11 per cent more food 
than they had in the five pre-war 
years. 
Despite the many production ob- 
stacles in the way during the past 
12 months, I am happy to be able to 
state that the food industry was 
able to supply the people with that 
extra food. As a matter of fact, the 
increase was 15 per cent so that we 
actually did better than predicted. 
At that time, I made another 
prediction and it was to the effect 
that food prices in 1946 might well 
decline about 5 per cent below the 
1945 average. When I made that 
statement, I overlooked entirely the 
many and long drawn-out labor 
strikes which developed. These 
strikes, along with restrictive gov- 
ernmental regulations, placed 
many segments of the food indus- 
try in such a vise that they were 
helpless to achieve a production 
great enough to result in the low- 
ering of prices. 
Impossible to Plan Ahead 
In addressing you this year on 
“The Grocery Outlook for 1947,” I 
find that assignment a difficult 
one, for the domestic scene is far 
from tranquil, and it is almost 
impossible to plan ahead with 
any degree of confidence in one’s 
ability to carry those plans to 
conclusion. This is so because 
of the many uncertainties con- 
fronting us , . . and, as our new 
Secretary of Commerce, Averell 
Harriman, has stated, nothing 
hampers business like uncertainty. 
There is uncertainty in the poli- 
tical picture. Next month the 
American people will find them- 
selves governed by a Democratic 
Administration and a Republican 
Congress. This split-control will 
last for two years ... and the best 
minds in the country are unable to 
accurately predict the effect of this 
on America’s reconstruction pro- 
gram. 
The labor situation is also jam- 
packed with uncertainty. The re- 
cent soft coal strike could well be 
the forerunner of another wave of 
labor disputes and work stoppages 
which might deprive the people of a 
ready availability of food products 
at reasonable prices. 
The food industry is a gigantic, 
sprawling empire that operates in 
every state of the Nation. And, as 
such it is affected by almost every 
labor dispute that takes place. The 
production of our goods is hamp- ered by coal strikes, by steel manu- 
facturing stoppages, by rail strikes, 
tugboat strikes, by truck strikes, 
and all the rest. 
And this lost production is not 
easy to make up. Industry has to 
work for months to come to catch 
up with production lost during the 
17 days of November and Decem- 
ber, 1946, that the coal miners were 
out of the pits. 
• Food Production Hampered 
Thus it is, that despite the very 
few labor disputes that have 
arisen in our own factories, our 
production has been hampered in 
the past by strikes in the plants 
which supply us with materials 
, . . and they may be so hampered 
again in 1947. Such conditions, of 
course, are entirely beyond our 
control. 
We are hopeful, however, that an 
improvement in the labor situation 
will be brought about by congres- 
sional revision of the National La- 
bor Laws. The American people 
went to the polls on November 5, 
1946, and expressed a downright 
disapproval with conditions as they 
now are. The people are demand- 
ing an adjustment of present labor 
laws and a subsequent industrial 
peace. There is little doubt but 
that the 80th Congress will heed 
their cries and act early and swiftly 
to clarify by public law the rights 
of employers as well as the rights 
of employees . . . and to define 
more clearly the rights of labor 
unions in representing their mem- 
bers, and in their responsibilities 
to the American people. 
Price Controls No Longer 
Necessary 
Coupled with these food supply 
question marks, however, is the 
definite knowledge that conditions 
have improved here in America so 
that government price controls 
seem to be no longer necessary on 
all, except a very few, food and gro- 
cery products. We have been as- 
sured, therefore, of the final elimin- 
ation of production bottlenecks 
created by unsound and inequitable 
government price regulations. So, 
while the grocery manufacturer 
still faces a shortage of containers 
and other materials, it is at least 
certain that he will no longer be 
faced with the problem of produc- 
ing a product at a cost of 11 cents 
and being legally required to sell 
it for a dime. 
The only major food products 
remaining under government price 
control are sugar and rice. In the 
light of world sugar supply condi- 
tions, it seems desirable to continue 
price control and rationing of sugar 
well into 1947 if we are to avoid the 
chaotic sugar price situation which 
developed after World War I. 
And so the food industry views 
1947, heartened to some degree by 
the progress that has been made, 
but still unable to do any long or 
short-range planning. Only one 
thing is really certain and it is that 
the food and grocery manufactur- 
ers, realizing their responsibility to 
the public, will do their utmost in 
1947 as they have done in every 
other year to bring to the American 
people a sufficient supply of foods 
at fair and reasonable prices. 
As the Nation’s largest . . . and 
most vital . . , industry, the food 
business must and does operate in 
the public interest at all times. The 
women of America are our bosses 
and we realize fully the necessity 
of watching our p’s and q’s . . . 
our prices, our quantity, and our 
quality. 
12 Prices 
Mrs. America is more concerned 
with food prices today than ever 
before. In many instances, she 
thinks that they are too high and 
wants to see them come down. They 
will come down ... if industry is 
allowed to produce unhindered by 
work stoppages; if the cycle of 
wage-increase, price-increase, wage- 
increase, etc. is halted. In brief, if 
the food industry can be assured of 
industrial peace in 1947, the people 
can expect greater quantities of 
food at lower prices. 
If the reconstruction period is al- 
lowed to progress in this coming 
year, we should witness a levelling 
off of prices and a gradual return 
to a buyer’s market. Not a bust, or 
depression, as predicted in some 
circles, but a natural recession 
from the current levels. We believe 
that the peak has been reached and 
that, after the turn of the year, 
prices will begin to decline. 
Such a stabilization of our econ- 
omy and lowering of food prices is 
a food industry goal. The food 
manufacturer wants his products 
priced so that they are within the 
reach of the great majority of the 
people. His business has been built 
on a mass marketing basis. He dis- 
covered long ago that his business 
is on a much sounder footing, more 
stable, and more profitable if he 
sells a million cases at a small profit 
than a thousand cases at a .large 
profit. He wants his products to 
be within the financial reach of all 
and will do his utmost to see that 
they are. 
Quantity 
In addition to her concern over 
prices, the American homemaker is 
greatly interested in her ability to 
find in sufficiently large quantities, 
the food and grocery products 
which she sets out to purchase. She 
hopes to get away from the diffi- 
culties which she has encountered 
on her shopping tours during the 
past four years. Feeding the fam- 
ily has been a troublesome task at 
times and she is fed up with shop- 
ping lines. 
Moreover, she realizes that sup- 
ply and price considerations go 
hand in hand , . . that short sup- 
ply means high prices, that a plenti- 
ful supply means lower prices. 
Generally speaking, the supply 
picture is good. There will be an 
adequate supply of most food and 
grocery products in 1947. The few 
exceptions to this are sugar, fats, 
oils, and soaps which will continue 
in short supply, but even here there 
will be an improvement as we move 
into the new year. 
American farmers have har- 
vested the largest quantities of 
food grains in history. 1946 crop 
volume was 2 per cent over the 
previous peak of 1942. 
A record-breaking domestic pack 
of 407 million cases of canned 
fruits and vegetables is now coming 
on the market. 
Meat production in 1947 is ex- 
pected to exceed that of 1946. 
Probable supply is 145 to 150 
pounds per capita with slightly 
larger amounts of beef and veal 
on the market, an equal supply of 
pork, and slightly less lamb and 
mutton. Poultry supplies are ex- 
pected to be good. 
There is even good news about 
sugar although this important 
commodity will continue in some- 
what short supply, as previously 
stated. There will be more avail- 
13 able in 1947 than there was in 
1946. The Sugar Committee of the 
Food Industry Council states that 
1947 supply outlooks indicate that 
U. S. householders will have their 
rations increased from 25 to 35 
pounds during the year and that 
industrial users will get about 27 
per cent more sugar than they had 
in 1946. The public has a selfish 
interest in the increase of avail- 
able sugar for industrial use . . . 
for this goes into the manufacture 
of goods it buys. Baked goods, 
canned goods, nearly all processed 
foods contain sugar. 
As you know, Secretary of Agri- 
culture Anderson announced re- 
cently that consumer rations will 
be increased by five pounds in 
April and it is probable that an- 
other five pound increase will be 
granted later on in the year. 
Bumper crops of all grains means 
a plentiful supply of bread and 
other baked goods, of hot and cold 
cereals, flour, macaroni products, 
cake mixes, corn syrups, corn 
starches, and many other such prod- 
ucts. 
The production picture on can- 
ned soups is also a bright one. We 
will have an estimated 33 million 
cases of soups as compared with 
about 30 million in 1939. 
There’s a tremendous increase in 
the supply of canned fruit and 
vegetable juices . . . 101 million 
cases this season as against 40 mil- 
lion in 1938-39. 
And the babies of the Nation will 
have plenty to eat also. Fourteen 
million cases in the 1946-47 pack 
which is 12 million cases more than 
the 1936-40 average. 
The supply of cheese will he 
Greater in 1947 than in 1946. 
Most of our processed foods wia 
become increasingly available in 
the new year even though all-out 
production of some of them will be 
restricted by the availability of 
containers, sugar, shortenings, and 
oils. 
All in all, the supply picture 
looks good. 
Quality 
Having pointed out that the 
homemaker is vitally concerned 
with prices and supplies, we come 
to the third factor with which she 
is concerned . . . namely, quality. 
It is the homemaker’s responsibility 
to see that the family is fed tasty 
nutritive foods. It is an important 
responsibility to her, year in and 
year out. The food manufacturer 
recognizes that and he works con- 
stantly to help her meet these re- 
sponsibilities more easily. He 
strives constantly to improve the 
quality of his products and to in- 
crease their nutritional value. And 
he goes to great lengths to do this. 
The food manufacturer actively 
participates in the advancement of 
the science of nutrition, in the 
study of disease, and in the overall 
protection of the public health. 
Nutrition Research 
The Nutrition Foundation, Inc., 
was founded by the food manufac- 
turers as an acknowledgment of 
their responsibilities in the protec- 
tion and advancement of health 
through scientific progress in nutri- 
tion. I refer to this with consider- 
able pride because of the splendid 
work which is being done by the 
Foundation; and it is heartening to 
us to know that we had something 
14 to do with getting this enterprise 
underway. 
In addition to the individual 
grants which they have made to 
numerous universities and institu- 
tions and to the extensive research 
carried on by food manufacturers 
in their own laboratories, they have, 
since December, 1941, contributed 
$2,322,500 to the Nutrition Founda- 
tion for use in the study of the 
science of nutrition. 
Employing these funds, the Foun- 
dation has made 133 grants total- 
ing $1,209,455 to 49 universities 
and medical centers in the United 
States and Canada, and as a result 
of these grants, 221 research papers 
have been published on various 
phases of the science of nutrition. 
Approximately 200 young scien- 
tists are gaining professional train- 
ing and research experience in nu- 
trition each year as a result of 
funds made available by the Nutri- 
tion Foundation. 
As Dr. Charles Glen King, Scien- 
tific Director of the Foundation, 
stated in his annual report for 1946, 
“We are making striking advances 
in the science of nutrition despite 
the turmoil of reconversion.” 
Dr, King reports, for example, 
discoveries concerning folic acid, a 
new member of the vitamin B com- 
plex, which aids in warding off 
anemias, intestinal diseases and 
impairment of the normal function 
of the bone marrow, as well as im- 
portant progress in the study of the 
causes and cures of diabetes. 
Awards 
Further evidence of the food 
manufacturers* deep interest in nu- 
trition and public health is the an- 
nual scientific award presented by 
Grocery Manufacturers of America, 
Inc. This award of distinction is 
made each year to an individual or 
organization nominated by a dis- 
tinguished committee for an im- 
portant contribution to public 
health, in the field embraced by nu- 
trition. 
The first of these awards was 
made in 1935 and our organization 
was proud to honor in 1946, Dr. 
Frank G. Boudreau, Executive Di- 
rector of The Milbank Memorial 
Fund, in recognition of his work as 
chairman of the Food and Nutri- 
tion Board of the National Re- 
search Council. Other recipients 
include Dr. Henry C. Sherman of 
Columbia University; Dr. Elmer 
McCollum, of Johns Hopkins Uni- 
versity; Sir John Boyd • Orr of 
Rowett Research Institute in Aber- 
deen, Scotland; Dr. Robert R. Wil- 
liams, of Bell Telephone Laborator- 
ies ; Dr. Charles Glen King, Nutri- 
tion Foundation, 
Food manufacturers ask no ap- 
plause for this work which might 
well be considered “above and be- 
yond the call of duty ’ ’ but the next 
time someone tells you that busi- 
ness doesn’t give a hang for the 
poor consumer, I wish that you 
would remind him what I have 
just reported to you. 
Conclusion 
In concluding this report, I 
should like to make two points. 
The first is that the Grocery 
Manufacturers of America, whom I 
am privileged to represent here to- 
day, can guarantee to the members 
of this committee . . . and to the 
public as a whole . . . that there 
15 will be continued improvement in 
the quality of the food products 
which they manufacture. These 
firms will continue to give financial 
and other aid in furthering the 
health of the Nation and in the 
study of the science of nutrition. As 
members of an industry serving the 
public welfare, they recognize their 
responsibility to do so. 
My second point is that, while 
we can guarantee quality without 
reservation, we cannot be as definite 
with regard to prices or supply, for 
reasons which I have just outlined. 
However, based on present indica- 
tions, we feel that supplies will be 
more plentiful next year and that 
prices will take a downward trend. 
We in the food manufacturing 
business have been successful in 
uniting the various segments of this 
industry so that the Life Line of 
America . . . the line of essential 
processes between food in the field 
and food on the table ... is 
stronger than ever before. 
Operating on the principle of 
mass merchandising and accepting 
our responsibility to supply the 
American people with the foods 
they need, we will do our best to 
produce a-sufficient supply of food 
and grocery products at reasonable 
prices. . 
In attempting to fulfill our 
pledge, we need and earnestly seek 
the support of other segments of 
our national economy ... of gov- 
ernment officials, of our legislators, 
of labor, and of all industry. Milk Prospects for 1947 
H. H. Rathbun 
President, Dairymen’s League Cooperative Association Inc. 
MILK is almost synonomous 
with nutrition. Not only is 
milk our most nutritious 
food, it also is our cheapest major 
food. It is a mainstay in the diet of 
our 140 million people. 
Even with food prices generally 
higher, along with all other com- 
modities, milk is still a bargain. 
The truth is that milk is relatively 
cheaper today than it was in 1930. 
Labor has been considerably wor- 
ried about the rising cost of living, 
and with justification. But as far 
as milk is concerned, the consum- 
er’s dollar goes a long way. In 1939. 
the average hourly wrage rate of 
labor was about 65 cents. Milk in 
New York City was then selling for 
about 15 cents a quart, home de- 
livered. That meant that a la- 
borer could buy 4 1/3 quarts of 
milk for each hour’s work. 
Today, with milk selling for 22 
cents, the average hourly wage of 
labor is $1.10. For an hour’s work 
now, a working man can buy 5 
quarts of milk—or 2/3 of a quart 
more than he could seven years ago. 
What the late Dr. Charles Mayo 
said years ago is still true: “Con- 
sidering its cost per pound, milk 
contains more food value for the 
money than any other food material 
available. * ’ 
Fortunately, we have not suf- 
fered any widespread or prolonged 
shortage of milk, as we have with 
other foods such as meat and sugar. 
There were plenty of reasons for a 
milk shortage of serious propor- 
tions but farmers came through, 
despite other difficulties, to produce 
milk. 
1946 Production 
This past year dairy farmers 
came close to matching the 1945 
production. This was accomplished 
despite feed shortages, uncertainty 
of price controls, and the high 
prices being paid for beef on the 
hoof. Production in 1946 was the 
result of tenacity, determination, 
and a patriotism that is singular 
with our farm people. 
Farmers have always responded 
to the food needs of our Nation, in 
peace and in wartime. This past 
year they have established new re- 
cords in milk production per cow. 
Although the number of dairy ani- 
mals had dropped nearly 4 per cent, 
production was nearly as great as 
that in 1945. 
Milk production per cow has 
steadily increased since 1934. For 
1946, the average cow produced, 
4,850 lbs. of milk—450 pounds 
more than in the period 1935-39. 
At the beginning of 1947, one cow 
will be supplying an average of 
514 persons, compared with 4y2 
persons in 1900 and 4 persons in 
1880. These are the result of im- 
proved breeding and methods of 
production. There is, of course, a 
limit that will be reached. With 
fewer animals, it is obvious that 
we must maintain or increase even 
more our production per cow if we 
are to have as much milk in 1947 
as we had this past year—a little 
over 119 billion pounds. 
17 1947 Goal 
The estimated requirements for 
milk in 1947 calls for 124% billion 
pounds, which is made up of 118% 
billion pounds for civilian demands 
at home, and the remainder for ex- 
port. This figure, of course, does 
not take into consideration an op- 
timum diet for every one of our 
population; but is an estimate of 
needs in terras of anticipated de- 
mand. 
This amount of milk would pro- 
vide us with an annual domestic 
per capita consumption of approxi- 
mately 409 pounds of fluid milk; 
13 pounds of butter; 6% pounds of 
cheese. This is more milk and 
cheese but less butter than we ate 
in the 1935-39 average. 
On a national basis, indications 
are that we cannot possibly meet 
these requirements fully; that pro- 
duction at best will be only about 
what it was last year—119 billion 
pounds. This does not mean short- 
ages necessarily, but it does mean 
that we will have less milk and 
dairy products than we could and 
should use. 
The major reason is that we have 
fewer dairy cows, fewer dairy 
farmers. The hardships faced by 
milk producers during the past few 
years took their toll. 
In 1944, we had an all-time high 
of nearly 26,000,000 head of cattle. 
By 1946, this number had dropped 
to less than 24,500,000. And it is 
not improbable that it will drop 
somewhat more in 1947. If we are 
fortunate, and dairying made more 
encouraging, it is possible that we 
can stem this serious trend during 
1947 and begin rebuilding our 
herds to a satisfactory point. 
We are in a good position to build 
back. Many of the crippling fac- 
tors of the past few years are now 
removed. The dairy industry has 
been freed of confusing, unwork- 
able price controls and subsidies. 
We have had a bumper grain crop 
with which to feed our cows; farm- 
ers have finally obtained a price 
level that more nearly enables them 
to meet the higher costs of produc- 
ing milk. 
There are indications that the 
dairy industry is convalescing nice- 
ly from the ailments of wartime 
conditions. But milk production 
cannot be changed overnight. It 
takes time to build herds, to get 
farmers interested in returning to 
a business of producing milk. It is 
not easy to get hired help at wages 
that farmers can pay when indus- 
try is offering tempting wage, 
bonus, and vacation plums, and 
short hours. 
All of this is a problem that con- 
fronts consumers as well as agricul- 
ture. Adequate food production is 
a national problem; not just the 
problem of farmers. 
Here is the Northeast, we have 
our own particular problems. Milk 
is the backbone of agriculture here. 
Milk alone brings as much money 
to New York farmers as all of the 
rest of their products put together. 
Dairy farmers in the New York 
milkshed have the largest market 
in the world for their milk; and in 
turn, the 20 million consumers in 
this region are provided with the 
best milk supply possible. 
In New York State, conditions 
have resulted in the same trend in 
cow numbers that was felt over 
the Nation. Despite high produc- tion per cow, milk production in 
1946 in the New York milkshed 
was about 5 per cent smaller than 
it was in 1945. 
During the fall months of 1946, 
we were able to approach 1945 
production as a result of a good 
hay crop, more adequate supplies 
of feed, and mild weather. Farm- 
ers were asked to produce more fall 
milk to prevent recurrence of the 
seasonal shortages of last year. This 
meant changed management, more 
expenses, but they responded to con- 
sumer needs. This is evidenced in 
production figures these past weeks. 
They could do even better if they 
could get labor. The labor problem 
is even more serious on farms in 
this region than in most others, 
because of the proximity of heavy 
industrial activity. When a farmer 
has 60 cows and he has only enough 
help to manage 30, he naturally 
culls out the 30 lowest producers. 
With meat prices what they have 
been, he got a good price for those 
he had to sell. But if he could have 
managed enough help, he wouldn’t 
have sold. 
The result was a temporary and 
small addition to the meat supply, 
but a long-time reduction in the 
milk supply. 
Another consideration in the 
1947 outlook for milk in this area 
is the requirements of other mark- 
ets which adjoin us, namely New 
England, Connecticut, New Jersey, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore. 
All of these markets have been 
raiding the supplies in New York, 
or trying to. Desperate for milk, 
they have offered price premiums in 
order to get supplies. We have been 
able to prevent serious inroads on 
New York supplies by maintaining 
prices at an equitable level. It is 
likely that these other markets will 
continue to reach out for more milk, 
and they will be reaching- in our 
direction. 
Every day farmers see their pro- 
duction costs go higher; every 
labor strike makes farm machinery 
higher, increases transportation 
costs, feed prices. Every time labor 
gets a wage increase in industry, it 
means farmers will have a harder 
time in getting adequate help un- 
less he pays more too. 
Let ns not fool ourselves. With 
cow numbers reduced the only way 
we can maintain a reasonably ade- 
quate milk suply is to encourage 
and make it possible for farmers to 
exert themselves to the utmost, and 
the only way to do this is to keep 
prices at fair levels. 
There are indications that condi- 
tions will change. Dairy farmers 
knowT that a price squeeze may 
come and there is always the possi- 
bility that consumer demand may 
taper off. Farmers know however 
that milk is needed, and they plan 
for high production in 1947. 
In summary, the 3947 outlook is 
that we can have a supply of milk 
comparable to 1946. It will not be 
all that we could use, or all that we 
need, but the shortage will be rela- 
tive and not actual. 
If every person in this Nation 
had all of the milk and dairy prod- 
ucts he needs for a nutritionally 
satisfactory diet, we would need 
between 140 and 150 billion 
pounds of milk a year. 
Per capita consumption of milk 
and dairy products has been in- 
creasing gradually. In terms of 
19 fluid milk basis, the average person 
in the United States in 1924 con- 
sumed 796 pounds. By 1942, this 
had increased to 839 pounds. Our 
domestic consumption was reduced 
during the war by military and 
lend-lease requirements, but it is 
coming back. 
We are still far short of our goal 
in national nutrition. We face a 
tremendous challenge. With all of 
the educational work that has been 
accomplished, we have just begun. 
What Price Prevention? 
Our path is clearly marked. It 
is marked by the hundreds of thous- 
ands of young men who were 
turned down by draft boards be- 
cause of physical and mental de- 
fects. It is marked by the fact that 
we have today half a million people 
in insane asylums, and a great 
many who perhaps should be in 
them, but aren’t. We have hos- 
pitals that care for 20 million pa- 
tients a year, and our facilities are 
declared grossly inadequate to 
handle the needs. 
From these glaring signs, it is 
obvious that we are a sick Nation, 
despite our medical progress and 
scientific advancement. 
Not all of our mental and physi- 
cal ailments can be traced to nutri- 
tional deficiencies, but over half of 
them can. It costs us well over 
$150,000,000 a year just to main- 
tain our mental institutions alone. 
This is a per capita patient invest- 
ment of $350 a year. That $350 
would buy a child a needed quart 
of milk a day for about five years. 
Prevention is far cheaper than 
any cure. 
School Lunches 
Take the school lunch program 
for example. The Federal Govern- 
ment has appropriated $75,000,000 
for the supplemental feeding of 
school children, in lunches. This 
program not only helps insure that 
our children, our citizens of tomor- 
row, will be adequately nourished, 
but it provides a market for our 
agricultural production. In doing 
so, it benefits our entire Nation. 
For a cost to the State of as little 
as a cent a day per child, New 
York could provide its youngsters 
with a bottle of nourishing milk; 
for only a nickel a day a child, it 
can provide a full, nutritional 
lunch. This is possible by using 
State funds in conjunction with 
Federal funds and with supplies 
and services provided by local 
schools or organizations. 
A nickel a day a child—that is 
only about $18 a year. Compare 
that with the $350 it costs to main- 
tain one patient in an -asylum for 
the insane. But the real difference 
comes when we contrast in terms of 
accomplishment—when we consider 
the contributions to society that a 
strong, healthy, mentally alert boy 
or girl is able to make in a useful 
lifetime. 
Providing adequate school 
lunches by every possible New York 
State community is a means of as- 
suring the proper feeding of our 
children, and developing correct 
lifetime eating habits. It also pro- 
vides this great farming state with 
a stable market for its agricultural 
production. 
Yet only 15 per cent of our State 
20 school children benefit under this 
program. 
At small cost to the State, we 
can put this school lunch program 
into many more schools and com- 
munities. These communities which 
need financial aid should be pro- 
vided with it. 
It is programs such as this that 
will improve our general health as 
a Nation. 
For Longer Life 
A person born today can expect 
to live 18 years longer than a per- 
son born just 35 years ago, a sur- 
vey by the Metropolitan Insur- 
ance Company shows. Between 
1911 and 1945, the expectation of 
life among American wage earn- 
ers rose from 46 2/3 to 65 years. 
Much credit for this remarkable 
improvement can be attributed to 
better nutrition and to the gains 
in preventive medicine. 
It is significant, I think, that 
the nations which have the long- 
est life expectancies are the same 
as those which have the highest 
consumption of milk and dairy 
products. These nations include the 
United States, Canada. Norway, 
Denmark, Sweden, Australia, And 
conversely, those nations which are 
low in consumption of dairy prod- 
ucts, have the lowest life expect- 
ancies. 
This has another correlation. 
Those countries which consume 
high quantities of dairy products 
are generally those with the highest 
standard of living. 
We have learned that milk, eggs 
and meat are the best way to util- 
ize our grain and grass. Our stom- 
achs only hold about 40 fluid 
ounces. Filled with cereal alone, 
we could not hold enough to be 
adequately nourished. China and 
India show us that. But by utiliz- 
ing these cereals for the production 
of high nutrition foods, we get the 
fullest use from them. 
Farmers are eager to raise their 
production to levels that will ade- 
quately supply our Nation with all 
of these high quality, nutritional 
foods. But they cannot do it with- 
out support and cooperation. 
Problems Thai Lie Ahead 
Six million farms are supporting 
140 million people, and providing 
food for additional millions in 
other countries. The problems fac- 
ing the 6 million are also the prob- 
lems of the 140 million. 
The decline in the number of 
farmers and milk cows is of na- 
tional importance—it is not just an 
agricultural problem. 
Looking at the average age of 
dairy farmers today, one is inclined 
to ask: Who will do the milking 
10 years from today? The average 
dairy farmer in New York State 
is not far from 60 years old. This 
means that our young people have 
not been encouraged, financially or 
otherwise, to remain on the farm 
and join in our army of food pro- 
ducers. This foretells smaller food 
production in the future for a pop- 
ulation that is growing at a rate 
of about 20,000 persons a day. 
It is a situation that should be of 
concern to consumers most of all 
—for it is they who will suffer if 
our food production diminishes. 
Our people enjoy the best milk 
supply, the most economical dis- 
tribution, the most careful sanita- 
21 tion, pasteurization and other safe- 
guards which have made our milk 
supply the standard for the world 
to try to attain. 
In December, 1946, the Dairy- 
men’s League Co-operative Asso- 
ciation formally dedicated in the 
heart of New York City one of 
the Nation’s largest and most mod- 
ern milk plants. 
This new and most modern fa- 
cility was erected by the 26,000 
dairy farmer members in order that 
they may better serve New York 
City consumers. It is an example 
of the responsibilities felt by farm- 
ers for the efficient marketing of 
their product to the public. 
Farmers feel deeply their part 
in providing adequate supplies of 
food for the consuming public in 
order that our health and nutri- 
tional requirements can be met. 
Not only are they producing 
food to the best of their ability, 
but they are becoming more aware 
of their responsibility in greater 
efficiencies in processing and mar- 
keting their products. 
Furthermore, they are taking 
greater interest in the education 
of the public, toward proper diets 
and improved health. 
Better nutrition is a problem 
which demands the co-ordinated 
effort of every part of our popula- 
tion. I know that farmers will con- 
tinue to do their full share. 
22 Additional copies of this pamphlet are available free of charge by 
writing to State Senator Thomas C. Desmond, Chairman, New York 
State Joint Legislative Committee on Nutrition, 94 Broadway, New- 
burgh, New York