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Report of the Public Analyst.
To The Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell.
Gentlemen, —During the year I have had 888 samples
submitted to me for analysis under the Sale of Food and
Drugs Acts.
Of these samples I had to report against 155, showing
17.5 per cent, of adulterated samples.
This is the bald summary of the year's work, but in the
annexed table I have placed every article taken in such a
manner that it can be seen at a glance what articles were
taken and when, and it can also be seen how adulteration
varied in the same article from quarter to quarter.
The table is so complete that there is little left for me
to add.
The unsatisfactory state of the law on the addition of
preservatives, however, requires some mention.
In the 1875 Act there seems to me to be an implied
sanction for the use of preservatives generally, again in the
Margarine Act of 1887 in section 3 there is this definition of
butter: "The word 'butter' shall mean the substance usually
known as butter made exclusively from milk or cream, or both,
with or without salt or other preservative, and with or without
the addition of colouring matter."
It is obvious from this that it is perfectly lawful to add
preservatives to butter.
In the 1899 Act, section 1, occur the words: "Provided
that an article of food shall not be deemed to be adulterated
by reason only of the addition of any preservative or colouring
matter of such a nature and in such quantity as not to render
the article injurious to health."
It may be contended that this proviso only applies to
imported articles, but the legislature could scarcely mean to