In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, that is to say,—

• “Essential commodity” means any commodity described in the Schedule to this Act which may be declared by order of the Board of Trade to be a commodity which in the opinion of the Board would be essential for the vital needs of the community in the event of war;

• “Food” has the same meaning as in F1the M1Food and Drugs Act 1955 and the M2Food and Drugs (Scotland) Act 1956;

• “Forage” includes all feeding stuffs for animals, whether natural, artificial, dried, or undried;

• “Trader”, in relation to an essential commodity, means any person who for the purposes of any trade or business carried on by him (whether as a producer, merchant, broker, warehouseman, or otherwise) holds from time to time a stock of that commodity.