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139
Suggested New Regulations (Sale of Butter).
The Council has, during 1903, written to the Local
Government Board, and to the Board of Agriculture, asking that
Regulations shall be framed under Section 4 of the new 1899
Food and Drugs Act, for determining what deficiency of the
nominal constituents of butter, or what addition of extraneous
matter, shall raise a presumption that the article is not genuine.
Similar Regulations have already been framed by the Board of
Agriculture in regard to inferior (but pure) milk as to the
minimum amount of milk fat (and milk solids other than milk fat)
such milk shall contain, and, in regard to Butter, as to the
maximum amount of water such Butter shall contain.
The reason for the Council's action is the fact that certain
Russian and Siberian Butters, shewing on analysis 14 to 15 per
cent. of foreign (animal) fat, have been declared analytically
and legally to be pure and unadulterated butters, the so-called
"foreign fat" being claimed to be the natural product of the
cow. This decision opens the door to wholesale adulteration of
Butter with small amounts (at least up to 15 per cent.) of foreign
(animal) fats, and puts the superior English Butters into unfair
competition with (say) inferior (Russian or Siberian) Butters.
Pure English Butter contains on the average 83 per cent. of
milk fat, i.e., fat derived from the milk of cream by churning.
Pure Margarine is not allowed by the Food and Drugs Act, 1899,
to have more than 10 per cent. of butter fat (derived, i.e., from
the milk with which the animal fats are churned up for the
purpose of making Margarine), whereas no mention is made of
the amount of animal fat to be allowed in pure butter.
Adulteration of Butter Bill.
The Council decided during 1903 to ask the President of the
Board of Agriculture to insert in the Adulteration of Butter Bill,
clauses dealing with the following matters : —
1. The application of the provisions of the Sale of Food
and Drugs Acts, 1875-1899, to samples of milk and butter