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Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
In the Annual Report for the year 1922 a reference was made to the desirability of a
communication being addressed to the Ministry of Health urging, in the interests alike
of manufacturers, retailers, consumers and local authorities, that steps should be taken
without delay to appoint a Departmental Committee to enquire into the use of
preservatives and colouring matter in food, and that recommendations of such
Committee should be given effect to by law.
A communication on these lines was forwarded by the Holborn Council to the
Minister of Health, and a copy of my report on the subject was sent to the Medical
Officers of Health of the largo towns of England and Wales; a number of municipal
authorities in such towns, as well as several metropolitan authorities, made similar
representations to the Ministry.
Public Health (Preservatives in Food) Regulations, 1925.
In the Annual Report for the year 1924 a summary was given of the
conclusions and recommendations issued by the Departmental Committee on
the use of preservatives and colouring matter in food.
In August, 1925, the Ministry of Health made Regulations for dealing with
the use of preservatives, etc., in food. The Regulations are based on, and
generally give effect to, the recommendations of the Departmental Committee.
They prohibit the importation, manufacture or sale of most articles of food
containing added preservatives or certain colouring matters. Sausages, fruit, fruit
pulp, dried fruit, wines, jam, sugar, beer, mineral waters, and a few other specified
articles, may contain one of two preservatives, namely. sulphur dioxide or benzoic