View report page

114
juices, jam, candied peel, sugar, com, syrup, gelatine, beer, cider, alcoholic
wines, sweetened mineral waters, brewed ginger beer, coffee extract,
pickles and sauces made from fruit or vegetables.
A sample of ginger wine was taken and on analysis found to contain
70 parts of sulphur di-oxide per million and 300 parts of benzoic acid
per million. The Public Health (Preservatives in Food) Regulations
allow either sulphur dioxide (350 parts per million) or benzoic acid (GOO
parts per million) to be used as a preservative in ginger wine, but not
both. It would appear that the ginger, prior to importation into this
country, had been either treated with sulphurous acid or dusted with
calcium sulphate.
The manufacturers were communicated with and stated in reply that
they used benzoic acid as a preservative. The facts were reported to
the Ministry of Health to draw attention to what appeared to be an
anomaly in the provisions of the Regulations.